Son of Flame
by Phoenix-Fire Power
Summary: Years ago Roy and Riza had to give up their son Edward in order to protect him to some old and trusted friends.Years later they meet him again as the Fullmetal Alchemist Edward Elric. ON HIATUS.
1. Chapter 1

-1**A/N: ****hey people!**

**I have no idea where I got this story from so don't ask. And a little description is on the bottom. I don't want to spoil anything in this chapter in the beginning for you guys.**

**Disclaimer: ****I own nothing, nothing I tell you nothing!!!**

**Mostly done in Trisha's point of view**

Trisha glanced at the clock on the counter. It read to be 9:45, almost time for-

Her thought was cut short as the doorbell rang. She heard her husband Hohenheim walk over and open the door, she walked into the living room where her husband was ushering their guests.

Her best friend since their childhood Riza Hawkeye and her secret boyfriend Roy Mustang sat down on their couch. Riza was trembling slightly with tears coming from her eyes and holding onto the bundle in her arms with an iron death grip. Roy had one arm around Riza and his other hand was helping support what Riza was holding. Another man, Trisha thinks that Riza called him Maes Hughes on the phone and that he was Roy's best friend, he was standing with his arms crossed and was watching Roy and Riza from the doorway.

"Thank you for going this for us Mrs. Elric" Roy said.

Trisha smiled warmly at Roy who in turn attempted to smile back but it just looked forced, which it was.

Riza choked back another sob and clutched the bundle closer to her chest, to her heart.

Trisha shared a hopeless look with her husband. He just stared at her for a moment before closing his eyes and nodding his head.

Trisha walked over to Riza and bended down until they were at eye level. Trisha's warm green (1) eyes stared into Riza's own bloodshot eyes. After a moment Trisha held her hands out slightly for the bundle in Riza's arms.

Riza hesitated, holding the bundle closer, and looked at Roy. He held his own arms out to which Riza with no hesitation placed it gently.

Roy held it close to him and lifted the top of the blanket to reveal a small head already starting to get covered with a mop of blonde hair and placed his lips on it. They heard him whisper "Good bye my son".

His arms shook slightly as he gave the child back to Riza who in turn also hugged him close, and placed her lips on his head. She kept whispering "My son, my little boy".

Finally she held him out to Trisha who grasped him and helped pull him away.

The moment Trisha rearranged him in her arms and stood up Riza burst into more tears, no longer silent, Roy didn't make another move but closed his eyes and more tears fell down his face. At that Hughes walked over and sat next to Roy and placed his hand on Roy's shoulder.

Hughes nodded towards a small case and said "In there are the proper papers. Birth certificates you can add a middle name if you want, and you both have to sign it. Social security and anything else that I am forgetting".

He then looked at the clock and back at Roy and Riza and said "We should leave now if we're going to catch the train".

"You don't have to leave, we have a guest room that you can use" Hohenheim said.

Looking at Roy and riza and seeing that they weren't going to speak, if anything it looked like they were going to agree, Hughes quickly said "No we have to go back to the military. In three days we're going to be sended off to Ishbal".

The Ishbalan war had been going on for a few months against their dark-skinned, red-eyed brothers. All because of religious differences.

"Good luck then" Hohenheim said.

Roy and riza both got up from the couch slowly their eyes never leaving their son in Trisha's arms. Riza even started to raise her arms to take him back when Hughes placed his hands on Roy's and Riza's shoulder and gently pushed then towards the door.

Riza turned to Trisha and said tearfully "Please let him keep his first name. It's already on the birth certificate but there are some blank ones if you would've wanted to change it".

Trisha smiled at riza and said "We'll let him keep his first name that his real parents gave him".

Gratitude swam in both Riza's and Roy's eyes.

As if a test had already begun the moment that they had opened the door the baby had started to cry loudly.

Trisha held him close to her body and begun to rock him gently whispering words of comfort. She looked up. Roy and riza stood rooted to the ground with a tortured look on their faces. She could tell that half of them wanted to rush to their son so that his real parents can comfort him. But the other half, the military side, understood that they had to leave.

After taking a deep breath they finally left the household without a backwards glance.

Still cradling the baby in her arms Trisha sat down in a chair cooing softly at the little boy.

Gently pushing the blanket from his body she got a good first look at her newly adopted son.

He was about three months old and a bit smaller (2) than the average baby. He had Riza's blonde hair, maybe a bit darker like Hohenheim's that was good. That way people wouldn't suspect something, including when he opened his eyes Trisha saw that they were a gold color, another point to Hohenheim. His facial structure was all Roy's however. The shape of the eyes, but the child's were bigger then Roy's, and different parts on his face.

While Trisha stared at the boy, who stared back his eyes also filled with curiosity Hohenheim went to the case filled with documents.

He brought the case onto the table, opened it, and started to take the papers out and lay them around the table.

Before he could pick up any more papers Trisha deposited the child into his arms and picked up the birth certificate. Underneath that there was a letter to Hohenheim and herself with certain facts and directions. Incase of something that may happen in the untold future they can tell one person that they trust with no doubt the true parents of the boy.

She looked at the birth certificate once more and stared at the middle name section, she glanced up and saw Hohenheim holding and rocking the child, looking like a father.

Smirking slightly she put her husbands name in the category and their last name before signing it. She pushed it to Hohenheim along with the pen.

Seeing this he shifted the child into one hand and grasped the pen with the other. He stopped however when he saw the full name.

He glanced up with amusement in his eyes but before he could say anything Trisha said "I like it so it stays". Hohenheim shook his head with a small smile and signed the paper.

The boy had fallen asleep in the crook of Hohenheim's arm. Hohenheim stood up, holding onto the boy tightly and went up the stairs to the nursery that he had created after hearing that this child would live with them.

Trisha followed him and opened the door. The newly blue painted walls and children toys greeted them along with a rocker and crib.

Hohenheim gently placed him on his stomach in his new bed and Trisha covered him with a small blanket.

She reached over and brushed some of his hair from his face and whispered "Welcome to the family, Edward Hohenheim Elric".

**(1)-Are her eyes green? I can't remember. If it isn't then I am sorry but I am pretty sure they are. At least from the little picture I got in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.**

**(2)-Ok I couldn't help myself. He is always going to be small no matter what age he is. I can practically hear him screaming some sort of insult me right now.**

**And question. Did anyone notice that I just randomly put Hughes there in the middle of the paragraph; I mean I didn't write him in until then. Show of hands who did notice that, and be honest you guys.**

**And I am wondering if anyone will wonder why Edward still has golden eyes.**

**Oh well back to business.**

**Well there you have it.**

**Roy is Edwards's father. Riza is Edwards's mother. And we can all tell that Hughes is Edwards's godfather.**

**Now I need some help. I want Edward to have an unconscious connection to both of his parents. I already have Roy planned out to there is no need to tell me anything about him but I need Edward to somehow connect to riza.**

**Any suggestions?**


	2. Chapter 2

-1**A/N: ****hey people!**

**Ok I got a lot of positive reviews for the last chapter so lets make some more for this one!**

**This one focuses more on the connection with Roy and the next one will focus on the connection with Riza if I could find any.**

**This is entirely based on the manga. I got most of the sentences from the manga online on and the words aren't the same from the actual volume but I don't have access to that right now.**

**I didn't know and couldn't find out the ages of Ed or Al so if I got something wrong then feel free to tell me, and help me find out some ages.**

**About five years later.**

Trisha Elric walked through her house searching for her sons. It has been five years since Roy and Riza had left Edward in her care, and about four years since Hohenheim had left searching for a way to return to a human body to live in peace with his family.

"Ed! Al! Where are you" Trisha called throughout the house. Lately her sons have been disappearing somewhere in the house quite often.

She heard a rustle in her husbands study room and opened the door "Well really" she said seeing the mess her children had created.

Edward was sitting on the floor holding a piece of chalk in his hand while Alphonse lay on his stomach with a book in front of him.

"You boys messed up your fathers study again. Do you boys really enjoy reading" Trisha asked.

Seeing Edward was doodling on the floor with the chalk in hand "Hey! Don't do that! You can't just draw on the floor like that". Edwards golden eyes looked up at her.

She leaned down towards him and said "Your father is going to be mad when he gets home".

Edward looked towards the circles on the floor and said "We're not messing around. Look!" and placed his hands on the rim of the circle.

Trisha closed one eye as a bright light appeared.

Trisha blinked in surprise to see some of the ground pushed and composed together to form a little bird. She felt the strength leave her legs as she slid to the floor on her knees.

She felt a smile coming onto her face. She smiled and asked "This is alchemy? When did your father teach you"?

Edward puffed out his cheeks and asked in reply "How's someone that's never here teach us anything"? While Alphonse told her "We learned it from the books".

She took a small glance at the many books in her husbands study. Stuff that made **her **head spin and her five and four year old sons can understand it and use it.

She looked back at her sons, at their innocent faces and asked "You boys can understand these difficult texts"?

Ed and Al nodded and said "A little bit" unknown to the disbelief that they have caused their mother.

She gave a little laugh and said almost to herself "If other alchemists of the world found out about this they would be stunned".

Edward then adopted a guilty expression and with his head slightly bowed he asked timidly "Did we do something bad".

She let a big smile appear on her face and said cheerfully "Not at all! Nothing wrong".

Then reaching out to them she placed her hands on their heads and pulled them close to her "You two are truly your fathers sons, I am so proud of you. I'm going to brag about this to everyone I know".

Ed and Al grinned at her and each other and without another word they raced to the book shelves and began to pull more books out and opened them.

Trisha smiled proudly at them, picked up her basket of tomatoes that she had dropped, and left her alchemists in training in peace.

She closed the door to the study and leaned against the door.

Yes Hohenheim would've been proud of Alphonse, Edward as well since he treated him exactly like his own son, but she couldn't help but think _'Roy would've been so proud of his son that he is following in his footsteps in alchemy'._

Edward was looking over the massive bookshelf wondering which one to open and indulge in next.

One of the books seemed to call out to him, and seemed to catch his eye.

He reached up towards it but discovered something that caused him to narrow his eyes in anger.

He was too short to get the book.

Gritting his teeth he stood on tiptoe with his arms stretching to breaking point and still wasn't tall enough to even reach the bottom of the shelf.

Stomping his foot in impatience he looked around the room and saw one of his fath…one of Hohenheim's chairs.

He grabbed it and pushed it across the floor winching slightly at the screech it made when pushed against the floor.

His brother was looking up interested in what he was doing. Edward ignored him and pushed the chair until it was right next to the bookcase.

He climbed on top of it and stretched his arms once more, relishing in relief that he could just barely finally touch the bottom of the book he desired.

Standing as tall as he could he reached up and as a final resort jumped up.

When he was airborne he was able to grab a hold of the book.

Coming down however was another story.

When his feet touched the chairs surface he slipped sideways, the chair went one way and Edward went the other. The chair fell to the floor with a small crash causing some more books to fall to the floor and he fell with a smash and a small "oof".

"Brother" Alphonse cried abandoning the book and rushing to his brother's side.

"'m ok Al" Edward mumbled holding his prize tightly to his chest. In truth he was a little hurt but nothing to cause any worry over.

He heard running footsteps and a moment later he and Al were looking at once more the worried face of their mother.

Seeing Edward on the floor she rushed over to him and picked him up and held him close.

"Mom I'm okay" he said whining slightly.

"I know but I'm your mother and I have to worry over my children. And I heard a loud crash what happened" she asked.

Ed and Al recapped their story of what had happened. Trisha shook her head at her two boys and ushered them out of the room saying "That's enough excitement for one day" and ignoring their protests. And also turning a blind eye to Al who quickly grabbed the book he was reading and to Edward who was still clutching the book that fell with him to his chest.

She held her hand out to the book Edward was holding and said "Let me at least see what book my son has decided to get killed over for" and with a small smile on his face from the joke he handed her the book.

She turned it over and felt herself freeze when she saw the title.

'_It has to be a coincidence right? It has to be' _she thought to herself.

She ignored her sons faint questioning and continued to stare at the incriminating title.

The Alchemists Guide to Fire Alchemy.

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A few days had passed since the chair incident and since then Edward hadn't let the fire alchemy book out of his side or grip.

He had read it two times and was reading it a third to make sure that he could understand it before actually performing it.

He placed the book down on the table, still open to the page that he was looking over, and licked his upper lip in thought. It seemed simple enough. To rearrange the air around the transmutation and complete concentration to control the fire.

He grabbed a spare piece of paper that they always had lying around now ever since he and Al had started to perform alchemy and pulled it towards him.

He looked around and saw Al and his mother talking to Winry and her grandmother. He didn't know why but the first time he preformed fire alchemy he wanted to do it by himself.

He grabbed the pen lying on the table and placed it on top of the paper, and looking once more at the array in the book he began to draw.

It was three triangles, two with the lines in the same place and the other in one of the triangles, two circles, one that touched the points of the triangles just barely and the other to just help control the fire, and of course the symbol of fire on top of the circles where the smallest triangle was pointing up.

Placing the pen down gently he stared at his transmutation circle for another moment and, after glancing once more at his mother and brother to make sure that they weren't coming over any time soon, placed his hands on the rim of the circles on the paper to activate it.

He felt the heat rush from the paper and immediately pulled his hands back before fire erupted from the circle.

It wasn't that big nor was it small. As soon as he had lifted his hands off the flame had went out.

He placed his hands upon the circle once more he activated it.

This time he kept his hands on the circle and the fire didn't burn out.

With his concentration he made the fire burn bigger and brighter or smaller and dimmer.

From the first time he had done it, it had attracted the attention of Al, his mother, Winry, and her grandmother. They had rushed over and were praising him on his talent.

Grinning Edward looked at his mom whom he saw had a proud smile on her face and was grinning back at him.

But her eyes said something else. There was something like sadness there.

He turned back to the extinguished flame. Although the fire had burned out form the paper the fire in him had ignited and spread filling him with a warmth that he couldn't explain.

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Lieutenant-Colonel Roy mustang paused in his work as a certain feeling coursed through him.

It was warmth that overtook his senses and caused him to smile.

He looked at the door and saw that it was closed. Not that it mattered since it was only Riza and Havoc in there anyway, and he deserved a short break from all the paperwork that he had been signing.

For some reason he felt the need to look at a photo. After taking a second glance at the door and reassuring himself that no one would disturb him he reached into his breast pocket, on the left side where his heart is, and pulled out a photo.

He smoothed it back and looked at it warmly. It was a photo of himself and Riza before they were sent to Ishbal, and they were holding their only son and child Edward.

Both he and Riza were smiling happily in the photo while Edward was also smiling. Whether it was because his parents were as well or most likely since he was almost always a happy baby and curious baby.

He smiled at the past and didn't bother to hide the tickling in his eyes, the tell-tale sign that there were tears and that they were about to spill over.

The door opened abruptly and he did a quick glance at the doorway to see that it was Riza Hawkeye, the mother of his child.

She seemed a bit peeved at catching the Lieutenant-Colonel not doing his work again and opened her mouth to give him a lecture of some sort he turned the picture over to her so that she could see what it was.

She stopped mid-word and closed her eyes with a small smile on her face as well.

She walked closer to him and took the picture from his hands and looked at it closer.

She held it to her heart and closed her eyes. She was also crying slightly.

Getting up he put his arms around her and she leaned into his embrace, her head on his chest as they both stared at the past and desperately wished that they could go there once more. Three months with their son were better then nothing.

**Wow that was sad.**

**It is about one in the morning and I am still typing yikes.**

**Since it's so late I am just going to wait to post it up in the morning because my dad just walked in and to go to sleep pronto.**

**Now I got some great ideas for the connection with Riza and everything, the most common was the firearms things.**

**Just one thing.**

**How am I going to get a five year old into something like that? Even at fifteen he doesn't like it.**

**Another one was organization in his and other peoples work.**

**And one more was a love for dogs. I am sorry but Alphonse's love for cats is enough, plus I am a cat person.**

**So it's late and I have to get to bed so until next time and remember to review.**

**This is Phoenix-Fire Power over and out. **


	3. Chapter 3

-1**A/N: ****hey people!  
Wow I got a lot of positive reviews for the last two chapters, I love you guys!**

**I love long reviews but short ones are great as well.**

**Even if it's a simple 'I like your story' or 'Please continue' or even just 'When is the next update' I still love them.**

**Sigh ok here is the next chapter and please make sure to read the authors note on the bottom to find something out about the updates.**

**Disclaimer: ****Like I said last time I own nothing here. Except I think this plot, do I?**

**But I do not own FMA or the lullaby.**

**A year has passed since Edward and Alphonse Elric have done their first transmutation. Edward is now six years old and Alphonse is five.**

**(If the kids sound older or act older then they appear then I am sorry.)**

Edward looked over the group he was working with and sighed heavily.

They were in school right now, even though it was extremely boring to the Elric brothers since they already knew much more then the other kids here, they still had to come there and earn an 'education'.

Yeah right.

Right now he, Al, Winry, Michael, Daniel, Jessica, and Rachel were in a group and were _supposed _to be working on making a poster with a map of the world on it.

Well he, Al, and Winry were all done with their part of the assignment. But the other kids weren't.

In fact they were just talking to each other, not bothering to even look at their other members.

Edward scowled. He had heard about these three. Never doing any work, and having the rest of the people that they worked with do everything then take all the credit. Edward hated people like that.

People that never did anything and then expected for the rest of the world to treat them like kings.

It made him sick.

He looked at the map. He, Al, and Winry had done three lands points and there were still four to go. Plus the title of the map.

He looked up once more at the four who were laughing at some dumb thing one of them had said. This had to stop.

He cleared his throat loudly to attract their attention.

They ignored him and continued talking. Ed made a louder noise which they once more ignored except for Jessica who threw him an annoyed look.

That was it. If there is one thing that he couldn't stand it was lazy people who refused to do the work that they had been assigned. He slammed his hands onto the desk with a loud 'bang'!

He startled the entire class and the teacher but his focus was entirely on the four people in front of him who were looking at him amazed.

He leaned forward and hissed "You four are going to stop talking about your nonsense and are going to do some actual work".

They all looked at each other with a smirk on their faces before Daniel also leaned forward and asked "And why should we do that? You can do the work cant you"?

Edward narrowed his eyes dangerously. He knew that when he got really mad his eyes had little flashes of darkness like black appear in his eyes (1). "The three of us" he said motioning to himself, Al, and Winry, "Are more then capable to finish this entire thing by ourselves". Then Daniel nodded in agreement but before he could say anything else Edward continued in a cold voice "But you are part of this group as well, much to our displeasure, so you have to do part of the work yourself" and he concluded with pushing the box of colored pencils and crayons towards them and Winry pushed the paper towards them as well.

They all looked at each other once more and burst into laughter.

Michael stood up, towering the three kids, and the others followed quickly. He leaned forward and said "Make us".

Edward did nothing just glare. Nodding in satisfaction Michael turned away just to feel something hit the back of his head hard.

Spinning around he saw Edward with a slingshot, that had been thrown onto the ground earlier that day, in one of his hands and a rock from his pocket in the other, they were both relaxed at his sides.

With a roar Michael leaped at Edward but Edward with lightning fast movements had brought up the slingshot and the rock and launched it right in the middle of Michael's forehead. This one was deep enough to cut through and make him start to bleed.

He howled in pain and grabbed at his forehead. The teacher rushed over and looked over at him and asked one of the teacher's aids to escort him to the nurse's office, in which time Edward had thrown away the slingshot in a far corner.

The teacher walked towards them with her hands on her hips. She pursed her lips and asked "What happened"?

Before Edward could say anything Winry had jumped up and said "Well me, Ed, and Al were working on our parts on the poster and they" she said pointing to the other three kids. The Jessica and Rachel were crying and Daniel was glaring at Edward who was glaring back as forcefully if not more. "Were doing nothing" she continued. "When Ed asked them to start on their parts they said no and then Michael attacked Edward. It was really quick and we didn't see what happened and somehow Michael got hurt" she concluded.

Winry was a good girl, always following the rules, doing her homework, never getting into trouble, and was a favorite of the teachers so it was a good thing that she was sticking up for Edward, not to mention that they were best friends but still. Even lying to the teacher for him not to get into trouble, she just never lied to the teacher so the teacher didn't see a reason to mistrust her.

"They're lying" Rachel yelled getting up to her feet and pointing an incriminated finger at them. "We asked them to hand the poster to us with the pencils and crayons and Edward threw a rock at Michael with his slingshot".

Ed then took this moment to look at Alphonse and ask "Where is there a slingshot here"?

"Liar" Jessica screamed at him.

The teacher's eyes slid over to the poster. She looked closely at it. She could recognize Edwards, Alphonse's, and Winry's handwriting on it making one part of their story true.

She took a deep breath and looked at her students that were staring at her expectantly.

"Now I know that Edward, Alphonse, and Winry did their work. Its clear on the paper" she said waving her hand over the paper in question. "But I also know that you four weren't doing your work. I have looked over here many times and I saw that those three were done and were waiting for you to start on your part".

"But their lying" Rachel whined.

"No they are not" the teacher said in a hard tone of voice. "You four will stay after school".

She then turned to Ed, Al, and Winry. "I'm sorry to ask this of you but could you finish the rest of this poster? You'll get extra credit for it" she asked smiling at the grins on the three kids.

The teacher then ushered the other three to the front of the class.

Edward turned to Winry "Thanks Win" he said quietly.

She showed a small smile before a frown replaced it and said "Well don't get used to it. I'm wont cover for you forever".

Edward grinned. He knew she was lying. They were friends and they would always have the others back.

"Right" he said nodding his head.

He then turned to look at the both of them and took charge. "Al you draw the rest of Amertris and Win can you make Xing? I'll do Drachma" he said choosing and picking up the right pencil needed to make the land.

Alphonse and Winry nodded before also picking up a pencil and beginning to draw the shape of the land from looking into their atlases. (2)

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**A few months later.**

Edward shrieked with laughter as the water pelted his back.

He, Alphonse, and Winry were running around in the field playing with their newly bought water guns.

From the moment they had opened the present, for their good reports cards, they wasted no time in filling them up with water, and bringing bottles of it as well, and running to the field where they immediately hit one another with them.

He hid behind a tree trying to catch his breath not even bothering to try and suppress his glee at this new game.

He held the gun up with both hands like in the movies and waited for a moment to try and figure out how to hit Al with the water.

"_See Edward in the beginning you have to hold the gun with two hands but when you get better you can stop and use one hand"._

A voice filled the back of his mind.

"_Always point the gun away from you, never let the barrel, that's where the bullet comes out of, and point at you because that is a big mistake. Always point it forward and never look into it"._

He heard Al and Winry's screams of laughter getting closer. He had to get ready.

"_You see these two points in the back of the gun? To aim you have to-"_

"_Dear what are you doing"?_

Another stupid voice.

"_I am showing Edward how to shoot a gun"._

"…_He is two months old; he doesn't even know what a gun is"._

"_He is my son so I will teach him what I want. And don't try to act innocent. I've seen you read to him books about alchemy as well"._

Their voices were just around the tree. Edward prepared to launch another beam of water. He held the water gun a tighter.

"_W-w-w-well that's different. That's-"._

"_No its not, I started to learn how to shoot when I was nine years old. Anyway Edward, you line these two points in the back with the point in the front. The one in front has to be in the middle of the two points in the back. One day when you're better at this you won't have to pause to point but remember where the points are and hit the target even if it is moving"._

Edward stopped for a moment and looked down at the water gun. He brought it up to eye level like he was about to shoot and lined up the point in front with the two points in the back.

"_You mean like you shoot at me when we're at work? And what makes you think that Edward will be interested in firearms like you are"?_

"_That's only because you never do your work. And what makes **you **think that he will be interested with alchemy like you are"?_

Edward jumped out the safety of the tree and squeezed the trigger, effectively hitting Winry, who yelped loudly, with water, and then running away to escape her wrath.

"_I have an idea. You teach him what you wish for him to learn. I'll teach him what I wish for him to learn, and later when he's all grown up and ready to chose he'll chose the one that suits him to follow"._

Edward hid behind the tree again and quickly pulled out the piece of chalk from his pocket.

With fast movements he quickly drew an array on the ground and waited.

As soon as Winry appeared right in front of him he activated the array causing the earth to ripple slightly.

Winry lost her balance and Edward took this chance to spray her with more water.

He grinned at her protests of using alchemy which turned into a low surprised yelp at the prospect of Alphonse drenching him with water.

With a roar he chased after his brother.

"_Sounds like a plan". _(3)

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Edward shivered under the blankets.

Outside there was a huge thunderstorm raging on. Just this afternoon when the trio was playing with their water guns it was a beautiful sunny day.

Somehow it had turned into this. One of the biggest storms ever.

The thunder was so loud that the house seemed to shake. Each strike lit up the sky and the shadows in his room seemed to stretch towards him, reaching for him.

Edward shook his head. He was just letting his imagination run wild. He was just letting his imagination run wild. He told himself that over and over again.

He had heard Alphonse run to their mothers room a half hour ago and even though he wanted to do the same thing he couldn't. He was the older brother damn it! He had to show Al that he wasn't afraid of anything. That Al could always look up to him. And it took more then thunder to scare him right?

Wrong, as more thunder screamed outside he whimpered and buried himself in the blankets and pillow.

He cried into the pillow. He wanted his mother!

"_Midnight moonlight shining _

_through the curtain lace."._

A song. One he heard long ago on a night like tonight.

"_Paints a perfect picture on_

_Your perfect face."_

In his mind he felt warm strong arms holding him.

"_One sweet angel sleeping_

_In my arms"_

The thunder seemed to melt away as Edward focused more on the voice.

"_You are promise I knew_

_G-d would keep"_

He felt the exhaustion finally pile up in his body as his eyes sagged.

"_You are the gift that makes_

_My world complete"_

Edward yawned quietly and settled in the pillow, no longer hearing the thunder but the soothing voice singing the lullaby.

"_And you will never know_

_How much I love you."_

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Riza Hawkeye leaned in the office at her desk staring out the window.

Unconsciously she had begun to hum a song that her mother had sung to her during a thunderstorm like tonight when she was younger.

And the one she had sung to Edward when a thunderstorm had kept him awake at night.

She couldn't help but wonder if this kind of weather was going on in Resembol as well as here.

She linked her fingers together and placed her head on top of them in thought.

Seeing no one else, save Roy Mustang but they always worked together late, in the office she begun to sing the words quietly.

"And you'll never know how much I love you" she said softly.

Roy had froze and looked up from the documents that he was placing on Falman's desk from the first word she had said.

"But I'll keep on telling you my whole life through" she continued.

Both of their eyes obtained a far away look as they both remembered that night when Riza had soothed their son.

"Now I believe in miracles, and you're the reason why" the song went.

"So dream on while I sing you my angel's lullaby" she choked out before placing her head in her hands.

They closed their eyes in remembrance and soon Riza eyes were watering. She however pushed it away from years of practice and stood up.

The both of them gathered their belongings and coats in silence and left the office.

Roy looked at her and opened his mouth to say something. Words however couldn't fall upon the broken hearted couple so he opted to merely bowing his head down and pulling her close to him.

She clutched him as she remembered little hands holding onto the front of her shirt, much like she was doing now to Roy, that wouldn't let go. Even when he fell asleep he didn't let go and had to be gently pried away from her to place him back in his crib.

Riza clutched onto Roy tighter as she felt her heart twist and break. (4)

**(1)-That's Roy's eye color doing its work. I've noticed that when some people are getting really mad their eyes darken and since Roy has black eyes I just felt that putting it in there is nice.**

**(2)-So he got Riza's wanting of order and everyone to do their work. Like Riza wants Roy to do his paperwork…which he doesn't. And of course the Hawkeye glare.**

**(3)-Ok I loved this part of the chapter most of all.**

**The flashbacks were fun to write and they were italics. Can you tell who was speaking at each time?**

**(4)-Ok this one was really sad and a bit hard for me to write.**

**I changed the song from the one from Tarzan to a different one. I like it more like this. Can you tell where it's from?**

**A little song that Riza had sung to baby Edward during a thunderstorm and the thunderstorm in the present brought back the memories of it for both Edward and Riza.**

…**ok is it me or is it getting a bit harder to write about Roy and Riza like that?**

**And…I think the pages are getting longer.**

**Holy moly I did not expect that. The pages getting longer thing.**

**Sigh ok now that, that connection is over we can move on.**

**The next chapter should most likely be about the transmutation that Edward and Alphonse preformed to bring back their mother.**

**Now something to tell you guys once more.**

**This story if following the manga entirely, well almost entirely.**

**Edward isn't going to turn into a pyro, gun carrying maniac. He is not going to get any special powers, just the ones you see in the manga.**

**When Riza and Roy go to Resembol to find the Elric brothers on the outside its because they had heard of their alchemic abilities but inside, and they never say it out loud, they wish to see their son as well even though they know he isn't old enough to take the exam.**

**What you read in volume six, not quite sure of the chapter at this moment, is going to happen. Roy isn't going to tell Edward that he is his father nor is Riza. They aren't going to do anything in that matter at all.**

**If you have any questions about the manga just ask me and I will answer them for you.**

**Ok now that, that's over.**

**I'm not quite sure about when the next chapter will come out, the reason these have come to close together is because I had ideas. And I still do but I have noticed something.**

**I write my best work when it is late in the night and I am exhausted. Ironic huh?**

**Anyway the weekends are starting up so I can stay up late to write great chapters. But on weekdays I can't unless there is no school the next day.**

**Now which would you prefer? Waiting a few days to get a great chapter or waiting like one day and getting an ok chapter?**

**I thought so.**

**Please remember to review.**

**Well until next time this is Phoenix-Fire Power over and out.**


	4. Chapter 4

-1**A/N: ****hey people!**

**Ok I love you guys for all those reviews!**

**And if I didn't answer your review because I try to answer them all then I am sorry but it has been a heavy two days around here, I'm trying to catch up on school work and report cards are coming up. If I did well then that's fine but if I did bad then that means no computer.**

**Yikes.**

**Ok um I think that's everything.**

**Here is the chapter you have been waiting for the chapter of the human transmutation and Roy's and Riza's meeting with their son Edward for the first time in nearly eleven years. **

**So sit back, relax, and enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: ****I own nothing.**

**The day of the Human Transmutation.**

"Thirty-five liters of water, Twenty kilos of carbon, four litters of ammonia, one point five kilos of lime, phosphorus eight hundred grams, niter two hundred and fifty grams, sulfur one hundred grams, magnesium eighty grams, manganese one point five grams, iron five grams, silicon three grams" Edward recited the formula for one human adult body as he and Al got the ingredients ready.

Some of the chemicals needed to be boiled before usage so they got to work immediately, wanted to be reunited with their mother as soon as possible.

"Hot, hot" Al hissed as he picked up the canister with the boiling water.

"Be careful that's that stuff that is going to make up mom" Ed scolded him.

Al smiled at him and asked "Hee, hee what should we say to her first when we see her"?

Ed grinned at him and said "Isn't it obvious? Don't tell our teacher".

The two brothers shared a laugh before getting back to work.

They had decided to work in their basement; there was plenty of room in there to have the small lab with the chemicals and enough room on the ground to make the circle.

After a few hard hours of boiling the chemicals, bringing it to the right area, cleaning the junk from the basement ground to make the circle when it was time they were finally ready.

They gathered the ingredients together and placed them in a big enough plate and pushed it in what they believed to be the center of the ground they then picked up the chalk and started to make the array.

It took some time but soon enough the plate was in the middle of their greatest transmutation circle ever. The circle itself was perfect, the runes on the side and inside were all correct. This was going to be their best one yet.

Ed and Al checked things off to make sure they had done everything.

"Basic ingredients that construct the human body" they nodded in the direction of the plate. "The Alchemy circle" another nod towards the circle that the plate was in the middle of. Now for the final ingredient.

Ed got a pocket knife and sliced his index finer of his left hand winching slightly. Al did the same with his own finger "Part of our soul" and shook the finger until some of the drops of blood stained the combined chemicals.

They sat on the outside of the rim of the circle with their hands placed almost directly on top of the circle.

"Ready Al" Edward asked.

"Yup" Alphonse nodded his agreement and mutually they placed their hands on the circle and activated it.

Edwards heart was thumping loudly in his chest as the familiar light appeared around the array and the components in the middle started to join together to form something.

He grinned in excitement but it quickly disappeared when the familiar blue light turned into a harsh red one and darkness was appearing. The sound was like lightning crackling.

He turned around, trying to see behind him where the most darkness seemed to be heading towards.

"Big brother, something's wrong" Al said his voice shaking.

A loud crack. A scream. Edward snapped his head to where his brother was screaming.

Something, which looked like hands made from the shadows, was at his brother's arm and was disintegrating it!

"Al"! Edward screamed leaping at him, or trying to. The moment he got up he felt something at his left leg pulling it away. Looking down he saw the same thing that was happening to Al's arm was happening to his leg.

"_It's a rebound"_ the realization came crashing down to him.

His attention was snapped back to Al who was screaming even more. The things were now at his entire body and were pulling him apart!

"Big brother, big brother, big brother" he kept on screaming and reaching towards Edward.

"Al"! Edward screamed also reaching towards his brother. He fought through the hands that were holding him back and stretched out his hand once more.

"Alphonse, Alphonse" he screamed reaching out. Their hands almost touched before the remainder of Al's hand exploded and Ed saw a flash of white light.

All of a sudden he was standing in a long white room. There was nothing in front of him but there seemed to be something behind him. He turned his head to the sides trying to see where he was.

"Al" he called out trying to see if his brother was there.

He obtained a confused look and asked himself "What the, what was I just doing"?

He turned around and saw a doorway floating there. Nothing was holding it up or suspending it. It was just floating there.

"Hey" a voice from behind him announced, he flinched violently before spinning around.

"Who is it" he saw no one and turned from side to side trying to find the source of the voice.

"I am right in front of you" the voice said.

Turning once more he could barely make out a shape, or an outline, of a person sitting there.

"Who, who are you" Ed asked a bit skeptically.

"Oh so glad you asked" he…she…it said raising one arm in the air.

"I'm what you humans refer to as the world. Also known as the universe. Or g-d. Or true knowledge. Or all. Or one, and" he/she/it said ignoring Edwards face that had grown paler and paler with each word it spoke and pointed a finger at Edward "I'm you".

The doorway behind him opened all of a sudden violently just as the being said "Welcome, poor fool, ignorant of your own limits".

Hands reached through the doorway and grabbed Edward. He screamed and tried to scramble away.

As it dragged him away screaming the being said "Oh shut up, this is what you wanted wasn't it"?

The hands almost had him past the doorway. He grabbed at the door hoping that if he held on tight enough that they would let go.

Unfortunately they were stronger then he was and pulled him into the darkness and shut the door tight but not before he heard the being say "I will show you true knowledge".

He screamed as the hands dragged him into a bottomless abyss, struggling was futile he could barely move.

'_What is all this'_ he wondered as a pin points of light appeared. The closer he got the more he saw that it was strands that held pictures and words on them. Pictures of people that he knew like his mother, Winry, and even Teacher.

All sorts of facts and truths were opened and pouring into his head. One after the other, like rocks hitting his head. The images flashed before his eyes.

'_Stop' _he yelled in his head, he couldn't move his mouth. _'My head is going to explode'. _

He felt the things grab at his body and tearing it to pieces. His arm, his leg, his entire body was being taken apart.

"Stop it, stop it"! He yelled finally finding his voice.

"Stop" he yelled once more before seeing something ahead.

It was an image, no the shape of a person. Some big that had long hair…his mother.

"Mom" he whimpered out pulling an arm loose from the shadows.

He stretched it towards her, she held out her hand almost ready to grab his own.

And suddenly he found himself in the blank room in front of the Truth and the Gate with his arm stretch out and drenched in sweat.

He looked at both of his hands panting and then he looked up.

He turned around towards the gate once more, his head filled with new knowledge and understanding.

"How was it" the Truth asked.

Still panting Edward replied "I feel like…unbelievable amounts of information have just been cramped into my head, my head hurts."

He continued to look at the gate. "But now I finally understand. This is…True Knowledge."

He began to walk towards the gate while saying "That's right, our human transmutation theory wasn't wrong. But it wasn't enough."

He placed his hands upon the hard wood of the door, on the words engraved on the door "Just a little more".

"What I needed to know was just ahead" he heard the Truth get up and start to walk towards him. "There was true knowledge regarding Human Transmutation!".

He turned to the Truth and begged "Please just let me see it again, just one more time" only to be interrupted by the Truth saying "No can do".

"That's all I could show for this much traffic fee".

Edward felt confused, when did he pay a fee? "Traffic fee"?

"That's right" the Truth said lifting his left leg up slightly off the ground. Edward stumbled and felt his eyes widen when he saw that his own left leg was being disintegrated into nowhere and reappearing on the Truths leg.

He gasped at the pain and stumbled on one leg, looking up he saw all of a sudden that the Truth was right in front of him.

"Equivalent Exchange, right? Al-che-mist."

All of a sudden he was back on his basement floor and the pain tearing through his left leg, or what was his left leg was unbearable. He threw his head back clutching the stump of his left leg and screamed in pain.

A sudden thought brought on by the new knowledge that he had obtained. Equivalent exchange meant that Al had to give something as well.

"Al? Al?! Alphonse!" he screamed. He twisted around from his place on the floor and saw his brothers clothing on the floor empty. There was no trace of his brother. "No this can't be happening"!

He leaned forward onto his elbows with his left arm holding onto the still bleeding stump that used to be his left leg. "It wasn't supposed…to be like this" he growled out.

"Damn it! It got taken away" he screamed looking back at his leg.

He fell forward onto his side and whimpered "Somebody…help me…mom" he unconsciously said. He then remembered what they had been doing. He opened his eyes to the being in the middle of the circle; they had given up so much surely that meant…

He felt the remaining breath in his body leave as his eyes saw exactly what was there.

His eyes widened in shock and terror in what he saw there.

It wasn't human. It didn't even have a human shape. Its organs were pulsing out of its body so that he could see them along with some bones that looked like the ribs. Its head was upside down and it was breathing heavily. It reached a disoriented arm towards him as he crawled against the wall trying to get way from it. The arm snapped with a sickening sound and it coughed up blood before the arm dropped to the floor announcing the creature dead.

He held his head in his hands tightly "No this can't be…no…not like this" he screeched out.

He brought his hands up to his mouth as he felt bile build up in his throat.

He leaned forward as he expelled the remaining contents of his stomach onto the floor.

He leaned heavily on his hands "No…this is not what we wanted" he managed to get out. "Al, it's my fault".

He scrunched the dirt from the floor together by bringing his hands into fists "My fault".

He grabbed a rag from the floor and tied it to the bottom of his remaining leg to slow down the flow of the bleeding and dragged it over to where some of Hohenheim's old armor statue stood. He knocked the closest one to him to the floor and dragged himself to the front where the head was.

With the new knowledge that he had gained with the price of his leg he drew a new array from his own blood onto the armor with his hands shaking it was a miracle that he made it as perfect as he did.

"Give him back" he hissed. "He's my little brother".

"Take my arm or my other leg you can take both for all I care". He raised his arms high and said softly "You can even have my heart. Just bring him back, he's my only brother" Edward screamed before clapping his hands together and bringing them down on the armor, around the array.

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Lieutenant-Colonel Roy Mustang and Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye sat in the carriage being operated by a kind driver. They were used to cars and smooth roads so this 'travel through time' certainly surprised them.

"My apologizes, there are no cars in a country side village like this" the driver said once more.

Bemused Roy said "No, its okay. This makes the ride pretty interesting" that was the truth. They didn't know a single person that had ever ridden in something like this unless they were from a village like this one.

"So" the driver said turning his head back towards them slightly "Why are you looking for the Elric's Lieutenant-Colonel Mustang"?

He pulled out the familiar piece of paper and answered "I heard that the Elric brothers in Resembol were talented alchemists. I am here to recruit them".

It was slightly the truth. The moment he had heard 'alchemic talent' and 'Resembol' from General Hakuros mouth he knew right away that it was his son.

However their were some mistakes that only he, Riza, and Hughes knew. Like for the fact that they believed the eldest Elric brother to be thirty-one years old and he was only eleven. Eleven long years since they had seen him. And the military wanted to recruit him, to turn him into a dog of the military.

He wanted to speak out, to tell them that he was much younger then they thought but he couldn't. As far as they are concerned he had never even heard of the name and maybe the place until that moment.

And it gave him and Riza an excuse to go and see him.

His thoughts were brought back to the present as he heard the driver exclaim "A national alchemist, impressive".

"But why would a Lieutenant-Colonel all the way from the eastern district come all the way here" he asked while waving to a couple kids that were waving at him.

"It's my job to look for, and recruit talented alchemist" Roy answered as he saw the kids look at him in awe; he smiled at them and watched them run towards wherever they were going in the first place.

"We need all the new recruits we can get truthfully" he sighed. That was also true. The Ishballan war had left them with a serious dent in their men in the military, but that didn't mean that they had to add his son to the ranks.

"A ranked officer to meet them in person, boy will those kids be surprised" the driver chuckled.

Roy froze, even though he knew the truth he add the act the part. "Did you say kids" he asked.

"Yes sir" the driver answered cheerfully.

Roy picked up the paper once more and peered at the information on it. "Resembol Village, Edward Elric, thirty-one years old" he read aloud.

"No sir he's eleven, his brothers a year younger" the driver corrected.

He looked over at where Riza sat. She had a confused look on her face as well, playing the part, but from years of working together Roy had grown to read behind the mask, inside she was feeling nothing but amusement and joy. "What is the meaning of this Lieutenant" he asked. Riza could just barely detect a note of amusement in his voice. He enjoyed the fact that he was playing the Generals back at base for fools, confusing an eleven year old boy with a thirty-one year old man.

"Either this information came through a time vortex sir or someone make a grave error" she answered swiftly.

"Ho, ho, ho it won't do you any harm to just meet them" he chuckled at them.

'_Oh no, no harm at all. Just that you are taking us closer and closer to our son'_ Roy thought at him.

He pulled up to a house. He looked up at it, his mind flashed back to that time years ago when he and Riza were leaving their son here.

How did he look like now? How did he act like? Was he more like Riza, or more like Roy? Did he still have that blonde hair and curious gold eyes?

He reached for the doorknob and was surprised when the door opened with just a push. He opened it fully "Anyone home" he asked quietly. His heart was thumping loudly in his chest as his eyes scanned through the dark room.

"I'll check the back" the driver offered and walked away. Roy walked into the house, he felt Riza walking behind him, he heard her heavy breathing and knew that her heart was thumping as much as his was.

Something on the table caught his eye. He walked over and picked it up. It was a picture.

He felt his breath get caught in his throat as he peered at his son through the glass, grinning at the camera and flexing his arms while the other boy, the younger brother with dark blonde hair and olive toned eyes, also smiled at the camera and held up a fish that they had evidently caught together. He extended the picture towards Riza who grabbed it and her eyes greedily looked over it.

Something wasn't right he noticed, the air felt wrong too stiff and heavy.

He came to another door and opened it. When he stepped inside he felt the remaining breath leave his body.

Blood. And a lot of it. In a huge puddle right in the middle of an array. It covered most of it so he wasn't able to see what kind it was. When he heard Riza walk in she gasped loudly, something caught her attention on the wall and she walked towards it.

There were bottles on the floor. Roy picked one up at a time looking at the contents. Sodium, phosphorus, magnesium he looked at each ingredient as his mind came to conclusion that he didn't want to believe.

Human transmutation.

Why on earth would his son perform a human transmutation? It was illegal for a reason damnit!

Riza brushed her fingers against the wall while Roy stood there frozen. "These are blood stains" she whispered. They looked like human hand prints and fingers that slid down.

He heard someone else enter the room and the familiar voice of the driver appeared and said "Sir they aren't in the back. They should be-".

Roy interrupted him "Where" he asked curtly.

"Huh" the driver asked confused.

"Where the hell are the Elric brothers" he yelled with his back still to the driver and Riza.

"Well I was going to say that if they aren't home then they should be at the Rockbells" the driver answered cautiously.

The walk to the Rockbells was quick and before he knew it he and Riza were in front of a house and he was banging on the door. A dog was barking at them as the driver attempted to calm it down.

"Stop being noisy Den, be nice to the guests" they heard a voice say from behind the door. The door opened to reveal and old lady.

Roy marched in and said "Sorry for the intrusion Mrs. Rockbell" and startling the old lady.

"What does a military man want barging in here" she yelled at them.

Riza smiled, or tried to, at the lady and said kindly "My apologizes, we heard that the Elric's would be here so…" Roy didn't hear anymore something had caught his attention.

In the corner of the room there was a wheelchair with someone occupying it and a suit of armor behind it to hold it in place. The armor wheeled them into the light.

The occupant was revealed to be a young blonde haired boy that had only one arm and one leg, a blanket was covering his remaining leg and the sleeve on the right of his shirt was empty.

The boy looked up to reveal golden eyes, dull golden eyes that looked like all hope was sucked away from him, like he looking at deaths eyes themselves.

Overcome with rage Roy walked towards him quickly and grabbed the front of his shirt and brought him close to his face.

"We went to your house" he screamed at the boy. "What the hell did you do" he leaned in closer to the boy, "What the hell did you create" he hissed at him. The boy looked down and started to cry slightly.

Golden eyes. Roy's own eyes widened in realization. This is his son, his and Riza's.

The eyes that he had seen blazing like a fire in the photograph were no more then dull, put out, like his flame was extinguished in what he had seen. Roy had seen that look in many of the soldiers that were lucky enough to come back home from Ishbal.

Eyes of the dead.

He lost feeling in his fingers and he let the material of the shirt slid through his hands and Edward fell back into the chair still crying.

Roy felt someone put their hand on his shoulder and a voice say "We're sorry please forgive us". He looked up, it was the armor.

A voice was echoing from the armors depths "We're sorry, we're sorry" it kept saying over and over again and started to shake slightly as if it also wanted to cry.

He looked once more at Edward sitting there slumped in his seat. There was no hope in his eyes. Nothing to lead him or help him. What Roy did now although Riza would most definitely disagree, and he might have a few bullet wounds later, he had to do this.

He had her wait in the hallway after taking one look at her star struck face before she put her emotionless mask on. He knew that both of their masks would crumble as soon as they were alone in the privacy of either their houses or his office.

"Full funding to all of their work, access to secret documents, the countries research data, and technology at your disposal. This is some of the benefits of becoming a State Alchemist" he listed off emotionlessly. He could not let emotions get in his way now; he had to do this for Edward.

"However in return you are bound to follow military orders and if the situation calls for it to be called to serve your country" he said. He wanted them to understand **everything **that went along with this ride. To get you give. Equivalent exchange.

Looking over at the suit of armor he said "You might even find a way to get back your original bodies".

The old lady had sat at the table facing him while Edward and what seemed to be the Elric boy stood over at the side of the table. The old lady looked at him right now and asked "Are you sure these kids are qualified to pass the National Qualification"?

"The alchemy circle found in the Elric home, there knowledge alone of alchemy, and the ability to transmute a soul there is no doubt." Although he was disgusted by the turnout and what was given he couldn't help but feel pride of his sons knowledge course through him, he might have even surpassed him in this field!

"Lieutenant-Colonel Mustang" the old lady said blowing some smoke with her pipe. "After this boy came crawling in here covered in his own blood I went to their house to see what had happened" she said.

"That…I buried that thing in the back of the house. That-" she stumbled slightly here before yelling "That thing wasn't human! Alchemy had created that thing and had taken away these children's bodies. And you want them to do more of that! Is that you what you want for them to do with their life"?

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Riza Hawkeye sat impatiently, although she didn't show it in that hallway while she heard Roy telling their son about the 'privileges' about joining the military, at least he was telling them the negative things as well. Only years of practice was she able to now break down there at the sight of her little boy beaten down.

"Would you like some tea" a timid voice asked breaking her out of her thoughts. Looking to her side she saw a little blonde haired girl holding a tray with two cups of tea on it.

"Oh thank you" she said taking the tea that was offered to her. She took a sip of it to calm her nerves as the little girl sat beside her.

"Umm…Miss Second Lieutenant…" the girl started with her voice shaking.

"Call me Riza. Riza Hawkeye" she corrected and held her hand out. "Nice to meet you."

She was confused for a moment as the girl just looked at her hand with a weird expression, fear?, before asking "Riza, have you ever shot anyone before" shocking Riza.

Pulling back her hand she ran her thumb over her fingers and said softly "Yes I have. Many times" thinking back to all the people that she had killed.

The little girl looked straight ahead of her and said "I don't like people from the military. Because both of my mom and dad were taken onto the battlefield and were killed there". Her hands shook slightly as she continued while Riza looked on sympathetically. "And on top of that, now that guy called Mustang is trying to take Ed and Al away".

Her voice shook slightly and so did her body as she began to cry softly. "I don't want them to become part of the military. Please don't take them away from me" she begged.

Riza closed her eyes and said truthfully "The military isn't going to take them away. It will be their choice whether to come or not".

Looking over at the little girl Riza told her "To tell the truth I don't like the military either. Because at times I am forced to take lives".

Taking another sip of the tea the girl then asked the unavoidable question "Then why are you in the military"?

Riza closed her eyes slightly and said "There is someone I need to protect" as she heard Roy's voice raise slightly in the other room.

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"Mrs. Rockbell, I'm not trying to force them to do anything" Roy tried to convince the elderly woman.

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"It was not because I was forced by anyone, but it was my own freewill" Riza continued.

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"But I'm only stating the possibility" Roy continued differing from where his eyes where looking from Edward and the Elric boy and the Rockbell woman.

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Raising her hand slightly to her face she stared at the fingers that pull said trigger and continued "It is my own choice to pull the trigger. For the person who I must protect".

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Pulling out his trump card, although harsh it is effective he said "To live your life as a self pitying cripple with a suit of armor for a brother or to sell yourself to the military for the possibility that you can recover" he yelled slightly at them.

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"Until the day that the person accomplishes his goal, I will pull the trigger without doubt" Riza continued.

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Looking at his son who had his head down and was gripping the armrest of the wheelchair tightly before looking up at him eye-to-eye he said "The choice is up to you".

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"If those kids have strong wills they will decide for themselves and go toward that path" she concluded thinking over about her son in his broken state and wishing she could comfort him like the mother she is. "Even if the path is a muddy river".

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"That'll be all" Roy said getting up and walking towards the armor. He handed him some papers and said "If you decide to come to the Headquarters in the Eastern City".

He silently exhaled, that was hard then he thought. He took one more glance at his son who was staring at him as well and turned to the door where Riza was waiting.

Opening it he saw Riza look up at him and said "Let's go". She nodded and got up and looked once more at the girl.

"Good-bye miss" she said nodding her head towards her.

"Oh" the girl said raising her hand. "My name is Winry".

"Ah Winry" Riza said smiling. "I hope we meet again" she said shaking her hand.

Mrs. Rockbell walked them towards the door and when they got there she said something that turned their blood cold. "Excellent parenting you two, excellent".

Looking back at her stricken she merely inhaled from her pipe and said "To tell your son to sell his soul to the military at the age of eleven. Excellent." and opened the door.

"How do…" the words stumbled out of Riza's mouth.

Looking over at them with piercing eyes she said "Trisha told me incase something ever happened".

Nodding towards her they quickly rushed out of the house and the door closed sharply behind them.

They walked to where the old driver was waiting and got into the wagon without looking behind them where Mrs. Rockbell was looking at them from the window.

Gathering all her inner strength she turned to Roy and asked "Do you think they'll come"?

"They'll come" he said confidently.

Riza frowned slightly and said "You sound sure. By the look in those boys' eyes it seemed like he was never going to recover".

He chuckled slightly and said "Oh really? I saw eyes that were burning like fire" remembering when they once burned with curiosity in the past, one from the picture that he had secretly taken and was in his pocket right now, and once more when his sons eyes were filled with hope.

**Ok it's about two in the morning and I am exhausted and my dad is pissed.**

**This is what I do for you people. Piss off my dad and deprive myself of sleep.**

**Ugh the things I do for my readers.**

**And since I am so exhausted that means that this chapter is great and long, ok I just looked at the page numbers it's really long.**

**I felt that, that place was a good one to stop, mostly because I am about to collapse of exhaustion.**

**The next chapter will deal more on why Roy still went to recruit him to the military, the aftermath of doing that like what he feels about himself and what a pissed off Riza can do, and of course Hughes.**

**You will see their entire reactions to seeing Edward like that, the fact that they managed to keep up their masks that long without breaking is astounding just so you know.**

**Unfortunately the weekend is coming to a close and I have school after, well since it is passed midnight it is tomorrow, I cant stay up late to write great chapter so you are going to have to wait for the next weekend if I can.**

**And please try not to get used to such long chapters, I have no idea how this thing came to be fifteen pages but I am happy about that. But like I said try not to get used to this because I don't think that the others are going to be as long as this one.**

**Please remember to read and review.**

**Until then this is Phoenix-Fire Power over and out.**


	5. Chapter 5

-1**A/N: ****hey people!  
Man I miss typing so badly, and posting a new chapter and everything but I was busy with school things so…yeah.**

**And thank you everyone for being patient with me.**

**Something that someone had asked me in an anonymous review is whether or not that Alphonse is also Roy's and Riza's son.**

**In the first chapter I only introduced Edward and Roy and Riza never came back so no.**

**Alphonse is the real Elric son, the son of Hohenheim and Trisha Elric. So he and Edward are not brothers in blood at least. But through everything that they had been through they are brothers. In words and in heart, just not blood. Which doesn't really mean everything really. Just look at Roy and Hughes.**

**Ok that's all for now so here is the chapter, sit back, relax, and enjoy.**

**Disclaimer:**** I own nothing.**

There were some good things about having to share a compartment with other people on the way back to the Eastern Headquarters. One was the fact that she couldn't allow her mask to fail now and give in to her emotions. Two, which was also the bad part of it, she couldn't shoot at Roy. No matter how much she wanted to.

And oh yes she did want to shoot him for too many things. The primary one was planting that ridiculous idea of having their son join the military at the age of eleven.

Roy was so lucky right now that there were other people watching or else she would have left the compartment with her gun smoking and her Commanding Officer full of holes.

But he also got the message that she was angry, no she was downright pissed. He had made eye contact with her once the whole trip and he had seen the murderous intent in her eyes. He was going to die he just knew it.

Leaning back in her seat, which she had no other choice but to sit next to him she took a peek at the people that were sharing the compartment with.

It was a man and a woman, who were identical twins, one was reading a book and the other was just staring out the window much like Roy was doing, well mostly he was trying to avoid having to look at Riza.

The brother and sister however acted a bit more then nervous, they were downright paranoid. They jumped up at every movement that she or Roy made. It was clear that they were afraid of the military and its soldiers.

The boy, who was staring out the window, had an arm at his side that was tensed enough to show that he would throw it over his sister if something happened to protect her. And the sister, who was trying to read the book, her eyes kept glancing from the pages and looking at the gun in Riza's holster.

The boy kept sneering at them whenever he thought they weren't looking at them but his face immediately went to indifference as soon as they looked at him.

He turned to his sister and even though he whispered it to her they still managed to hear it.

"_What nerve the military has to ride on the train with the normal folks, acting like they are normal"._

Not normal. That's what they were. And what her son would become.

But would he ever be normal? He had lost an arm and a leg at that human transmutation thing so he had three choices. One to get plastic prosthetics. Two to live in a wheelchair for the rest of his days, which she somehow can not see happening. He is hers and Roy's son if she knew anything then they were both stubborn and wouldn't take anything sitting down so that choice flew out the window.

And of course there was choice three. Automail.

The surgery itself was excruciating she had heard and the rehabilitation was even worse. Very few people chose that one when they had lost their limbs. And one or two people who had lost their arms or legs in Ishbal had chosen that and from what she had heard the pain was even worse then when you lost your limbs in the first place.

But if chose that then who would do that kind of pain to an eleven year old boy?

When they finally got to their stop they rose as one and left, much to the seeming relief of the siblings.

They walked swiftly to the office, there was still time in the day left and Roy had some paperwork to finish much to his displeasure.

He could basically feel Riza's eyes glaring at that back of his head with every step he took. Oh yeah he was going to pay for what he did.

He thought back to his son. The one he saw in the picture that was weighing heavily in his pocket and the one that he saw in the wheelchair, the broken and defeated one.

He entered his office and the moment Riza had entered behind him he had closed the door and leaned heavily against it.

Riza walked over to the couch and sat in it burrowing her face in her hands.

They finally let the mask slid off. A hasp was heard from Riza as she clenched her stomach in her arms at the though of her child's blood on the walls of the basement.

Roy didn't do that but swiftly walked to the bathroom in the office and stood over the sink with his shoulders slumped.

In his mind the basement flew into picture once more and the image of his child and the suit of armor. He felt the bile rise up in his throat and promptly vomited in the sink.

Gasping he looked up into the mirror and saw his own sweat clenched face and sallow look. Swallowing hard he rinsed his mouth out and walked out once more…straight into the barrel of a gun.

He froze as the barrel stared straight at him with Riza clenching it in her shaking hands.

"You have ten seconds Roy Mustang to tell me why the hell you threw away everything we were hoping our son would avoid and basically tell him to join the military. Ten seconds" she hissed at him.

Was it wrong to thing about how hot she looked when she was as mad as hell at him? Or how right it felt when she said 'Our son'?

He cleared his throat and slowly raised his hands and placed them on the gun and tried to get her to lower it.

No such luck. If anything she held it even tighter and aimed right between his eyes "Five seconds remaining" she informed him.

She wasn't serious was she?

Before he could answer anything there was a knock at the door and Riza quickly put her gun back into its holster before the door opened to reveal Maes Hughes.

"Hey Roy, Riza I heard you guys were back so I postponed my trip back to Central. How was your trip" he asked with his eyes gleaming in excitement.

In seeing that it was just Hughes Riza had immediately lifted her gun once more in the air and pointed it at Roy.

"Wait what's going on here" Hughes asked placing his own hand on Riza's gun and pushing it down.

"Why don't you ask this idiot here that question" she snapped pointing at Roy.

Hughes looked at Roy who sighed and sat down on the couch. He rubbed his eyes with his hands and said "I told Edward to join the military".

There was a silence all of a sudden. Roy looked up and saw Riza glaring at him while Hughes just had a dumbstruck look on his face.

"You did what" he asked. "Roy I think I had something stuck in my ears or I just didn't hear you correctly. Did you just say that you told Edward, your son and my godson, to join the military"?

Roy closed his eyes and nodded.

Looking at them once more he saw Hughes wave his hand at Riza and said "Go ahead, you can shoot him now". Riza raised her gun.

He threw his hands up and said "Don't shoot Riza, that's an order".

"Then I am afraid that you will have to court martial me sir" she said emotionlessly.

"I had a good reason for doing that" he tried to explain.

"Oh really Roy? Well then tell me. What exactly went through your little head? Did your brain go on vacation or something or did you just wake up this morning and say to yourself _'You know just to piss Riza off today I am going to tell our eleven year old son to sell his soul and join the military'_" she asked sarcastically.

He had to smirk at her impression but that quickly faded when he saw Hughes reaching for where he kept his throwing knives slowly.

He sighed and walked over to his desk and sat down in his chair. He intertwined his fingers together and laid his head against it gently.

"Riza you saw how Edward was like correct" he questioned her.

"Was like? What do you mean Roy" Hughes asked confused.

"Because of a human transmutation Edward had lost his right arm and left leg and the Elric boy lost his entire body but Edward had managed to put his soul in a suit of armor" she listed.

Nodding, and ignoring the choked sound form coming from Hughes, Roy then asked "But when he was in the wheelchair, did you see the way he looked"?

She thought back for a moment before the answer came to her. "Hopeless. The eyes of the dead".

"Correct" he then turned his chair to face the window and staring out of it into the darkening sky he said "There was no path for him to follow. Nothing to guide him in what to do. There wasn't even any hope that they could get back to normal. He had accepted the fact that he and the Elric boy might have to stay like that forever and wasn't even trying to see if there was anything that he could do to change that". His eyes darkened as he continued "By joining the military he will have access to countless documents and files that might help in turning them back to normal. There is hope left and he has to follow it. He has to know that no matter what life throws at you, you have to keep moving forward. The past in there, in the past. You cannot change it no matter what you did but the future is always bright and there is always something there".

He folded his hands together on his lap and still looking out the window he said "In this journey he will get out of that g-d forsaken wheelchair and stand on two legs, one of his own and the other of something else whether plastic or metal, and move forward. As my father once said to me after the accident that took my mothers life and made him become a cripple. He had no hope in regaining his legs to stand and walk and run once more but even though I was in tremendous amount of pain I could still walk but I was afraid to,

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Flashback Begin------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

"_Stand up and walk Roy" his brother said to him from his perch on the chair at the window._

_Roy looked over at him, his fragile black eyes meeting his brothers brown ones. _

"_Stand up and walk boy, keep moving forward. At least you have strong legs to take you there. Do not let that man who dares call him our father win this. No matter what he has said you are not worthless. But if you just sit there wallowing in your misery then you are just proving to him and showing him that he was right" he said._

_He stared at his brother for a few moments, the words he had just said sinking in._

"_I know that you are not worthless and that you will rise to great heights as you grow up. But you need to believe that as well. Are you going to let him win?" his brother asked._

_Swallowing through his all of a sudden tightly closed throat he got into a sitting position and slid in his legs onto the side of the bed._

_His heart thumping heavily in his chest he slid off the bed and landed lightly on his feet._

_He took a step forward and stumbled slightly, the pain shooting up his legs that were crushed from the car accident._

_His mothers pale and blood splattered face…her screams…the pain of the metal lodging in his legs…his fathers frantic screams for his mother…hearing the crunch of metal…the taste of iron in his mouth…darkness. All of these flashed through his head._

_A slight scream erupted from his throat as he recalled everything and stumbled._

'_Keep moving forward'. His brother's words kept running through his mind._

"_**You are a worthless piece of shit! All you ever do is sit on your lazy ass all day and do nothing! I cannot believe I could have ever spawned such a stupid and useless child.".**_

_Did would his father even care what Roy remembered and would probably remember for the rest of his life? The feeling of helplessness and guilt that he couldn't do anything to help save his mother because he was scared? _

_Probably not. The only thing he ever cared about Roy was to put him down. Never acknowledging his triumphs, only his downfalls. Comparing him negatively to everyone else. No matter what he did or how good he did it he was always the scum and every other child was sent from heaven._

"_**You deserve to die!".**_

'_Never look back, always look forward' Roy vowed to himself as he took another step forward._

_Away from the pain of the past, and his father and **he **had wanted and towards the future that held what Roy wanted._

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Flashback End------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

He was jolted back to the present when he heard Hughes say "So you gave him something to follow and help him not give up hope"?

Nodding he finally turned to look and them and said "Yes".

Hughes slumped onto the couch and closed his eyes with his head in his hands. "I still think you are an idiot".

"Maybe Edward won't come. Maybe he'll decided to find another way to regain their bodies" Riza said feebly.

Roy wanted to believe that but he knew that to not be the case.

And a part of him wanted Edward to join the military. He would be able to see him more and look after him. Granted he wouldn't know the truth but it was still better then nothing. And he was getting to the age where a boy needed a good strong role model in his life.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Riza thought about the days activities that had taken place and felt them all weigh on her heavily.

She might not show it outward but she was still a mother inside and had a soft and compassionate side to her.

Even though she doesn't show it in the office with her gun.

But she had to admit that every time she saw a woman with her husband or with her child her own heart twisted slightly in her chest. Not a night passed that she didn't think of her little boy miles away, not even knowing the truth.

She had hummed that lullaby every time there was a thunderstorm and every night before she went to sleep she looked at the photograph that she had of him, herself, and Roy were in together and was taken by Maes a few weeks after his birth.

And now something that they had been trying to avoid. Edward joining the military.

He would have to sell his soul to the military and listen like a dog waiting for his master. Although there was the chance that he wasn't going to listen. He might be her son and she listens to authorities and those in higher command then her but Roy…in the beginning Roy had taken to do everything that was told to him and do the exact opposite. He never listened and had no respect for his superior officers. In fact it wasn't until Ishbal that he even willingly saluted to them.

But still. To have a child join the military? He would have to serve his country if he joined. This time of peace never lasted forever and sooner or later there will be a war with one country or another.

And then he would have to go out and kill other people.

She could suppress a shiver at the thought of her child dirtying his hands with the stains of blood of innocent people.

And yet…

There was a part of her that was glad that he was going to join. She would be able to be near him and help him. She couldn't tell him the truth but she could look after him. Like the mother that she is.

She closed her eyes and in her minds eye she pictured years ago when she held him through the night. She could almost feel his little body in her arms warmth radiating from him along with the sweet scent of babies. He always fitted perfectly into her arms. He was so small, even smaller then normal babies when they were born.

She smiled to herself because she could now lie to herself and pretend that she and Roy had gotten married and that Edward lived with them, maybe another child as well.

"I want my son" she whispered into the darkness.

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Flashback Begin------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

A year passes.

Roy and Riza have believed that Edward had forgotten about his offer or maybe has chosen to not join the military and find another way to regain his and the Elric boy bodies.

He was sitting in his office, behind his desk, doing his paperwork and Riza was taking the newly completed files and leaving more in their place, and Hughes was sitting on the couch smiling at a picture of his wife and new born child he was waiting for Roy to finish, or at least for Riza to leave the room, so he could brag about and show everyone his family when the phone rang all of a sudden.

Startled Roy picked up the phone, pressed it to his ear, and said "This is Colonel Mustang".

"Sir there is a phone call from you from an outside line" the operator said.

"Put it through" he said swiftly.

There was a beep and a rustle before a young voice came from the phone "Um, Colonel Mustang" they questioned.

"Speaking" Roy replied focusing on his paperwork he looked up and saw both Riza and Hughes were watching him.

"This is Edward Elric" the voice said making his heart stop for a moment. Riza looked a bit worried at the stricken look on his face. "I wish to try out for a state license".

Pushing all emotions that he felt to the back of his mind he leaned back in his chair and said "Do you now? And do you think you have what it takes to pass that exam? They only take the best there is".

"Yes, I do" there was no hesitancy and no doubt in this young voice. He couldn't help but feel a bit of pride at this.

"Very well then Mr. Elric. Come to the Eastern Headquarters where I will meet you and escort you to Central" he commanded.

"See you soon then" Edward replied before hanging up. Insolent little brat he was. Just like Roy was when he was at that age.

He placed the phone back in his cradle and looked up. Riza was frozen there and Hughes just looked confused.

"So is he coming or not" she asked her voice wavering slightly.

Nodding Roy said "Yes he is coming to take the state test to become a state alchemist".

"Who is" Hughes asked.

"Edward Elric" Roy replied.

Realization appeared on his face and then it darkened.

"So the entire family is dogs of the military" he said softly.

A few silent and tense moments passed before Hughes got up and said "Call me when you are coming to Central, I want to get a look at my godson" before leaving.

Roy closed his eyes. He had just spoken to his son for the first time in a year, well about eleven if you count the fact that he didn't even say anything the last time they saw each other, and the only thing he did was order him around.

Well at least something good came out of him finding him. He would be placed under his district, under his command, where he could keep a close eye on him.

**Ok that's it for this chapter.**

**I felt like that was a good place to end it because Roy and Edward are going to meet for the first time properly in the next one and I wanted it to be a bit of a surprise.**

**Ok remember what I said about this story following the manga completely, well something's that I like from the anime I am going to put in here as well, not much but a little.**

**I kinda enjoyed writing about Roy's past, kinda. I just want you guys to know something about his father. His an a**hole basically. He only cared that Roy would reflect on him badly. And just to let you know Roy always got good grades and excelled in his studies, like Edward does, but his father didn't care and only looked to put him down. Not physical abuse but sometimes mental abuse is worse. **

**Maybe I'll write more about his and Riza's past in the later chapters.**

**And you guys got to see Hughes! Yay!**

**I love him just so you know, when I saw that he died in the old anime I was like 'Wait what? No! At least there is still the manga where he hopefully didn't die' and then I actually read the manga for the first time. Yeah I was upset.**

**And I am sorry but he is going to have to die in this story as well but not like in the manga, I mean same reason and everything, but he plays a vital part in the story so he is going to have to die a little later then its said.**

**Oh and something else there is going to be so many EdWin hints in this story that it is not even funny. I don't know when, definitely not the next chapter, but there will be. And they won't be small either.**

**I think that's everything so please remember to review.**

**This is Phoenix-Fire Power over and out.**

**Edited on July 9, 2009**

**Don't worry I will update soon.**

**I just didn't really like what I had here before so I decided to change it, I think it's much better.**


	6. Chapter 6

-1**A/N: ****hey people!**

**Le gasp! A chapter in the middle of the week? I don't believe it!**

**No really I don't.**

**I spent days on this chapter trying to make it good and perfect, because there were some places that I was stuck at.**

**And thank you everyone who reviews, they mean so much to me and I just love to see how you like or don't like this story.**

**I have one request however.**

**Can you please read my other stories 'Different body, Same mind', 'A Brother in Words' and 'A Different Killer'?**

**They are all FMA stories and I would love to hear your inputs on them. If you need to know a bit more then what is said in the summary just tell me and I will tell you about those stories.**

**Thanks again and here is the newest chapter of Son of Flame!**

**Disclaimer: ****I own nothing.**

"Colonel Mustang there is a young boy waiting for you outside. He says that he is here to apply for the state alchemist exam" the operator said to him from the phone. His heart started to beat faster.

"Thank you, and please tell the boy that I will be down there momentarily" he replied before hanging up.

He rested his head against his fingers and sighed heavily. This was it. The moment that he had been waiting for ever since he had gotten that phone call about four days ago.

The time where his son became a dog of the military. He looked up.

He saw Riza standing there waiting for his sign that it was time to go. Through years of experience she had obtained a mask over her emotions and covered them with ease. But it was years of knowing one another that he knew that she was scared. She was scared plenty.

"Sir?" she questioned.

"Let's go Lieutenant" he said swiftly gathering some papers and leaving the office with her faithfully following him.

The walk through the hallways was quiet, the only sound were their feet just barely making a sound as they hit the floor.

His heart is thumping loudly in his chest. Is hers as well? He felt excitement bubble in his stomach, his son was just outside and he was going to see him.

He had to however to keep a check on his emotions. Just like Riza he had a mask on his face, clouding all his true emotions and feelings.

He walked out onto the steps of headquarters and started to walk downward.

Looking below he stopped before he reached the bottom about three feet and Riza stopped behind him as well. Staring up at him was the golden eyes of Edward, his son.

His eyes were no longer clouded in pain, hopelessness, and misery but were alight with a bright fire along with intelligence and something that made him seem older then his years. The harsh battle from losing two limbs and whatever he had chosen to regain his limbs gave him a strength and knowledge most men don't get until they have seen death or something close to it.

As he stared down at the form of his son who glared back in response he had to smirk at the resemblance he saw between the two of them. The scowl was his but the glare in his eyes were Riza's.

That was her son. Riza couldn't believe that her son was standing so close, on his own two legs no less! From what she had seen a year ago it seemed like he would have never walked again, and yet all she could do was stand there behind Roy and watch as he went through something no child should ever have to.

Edward wore black leather pants and a shirt and boots to match, along with a long red overcoat that blew slightly in the breeze. It somehow accommodated him and made him seem in a sense powerful and confident.

Roy had to give him one more chance to know that he could back out of this, not join the military but try to find something else.

"Are you sure you want to do this" he asked Edward.

Edward just narrowed his eyes and yelled out to him "Bow wow. You want me to wag my tail too" he sneered at them.

He remembered from when he was younger he acted the same way. Edward had the same temper and apparently he had no respect for Roy even if he was going to be his corresponding officer, if he knew that.

Edward was just like him at that age. Defiant and proud.

Smirking Roy then replied "Very well then. To Central" before walked down the rest of the staircase and going in the direction of the train station. He saw from the corner of his eyes Riza was following and Edward, after picking up his suitcase, following as well.

They arrived at the train station and Riza chose herself to get the train tickets for all three of them. Roy took this time to look over Edward while trying to be discreet about it.

He wasn't that tall for his age but then again he was always small. The smallest baby the doctor had ever delivered at nine months he had said. His hair was the same golden color and so were his eyes. Those eyes were sharp and clear in his focus towards what he felt that he had to do.

Where was the Elric boy however?

"Where is your younger brother" Roy asked him remembering that Edward believed himself to be the eldest Elric. He looked up at him from the ground and answered shortly "Back in Resembol. He didn't need to come here".

Edward looked around the station evidently looking for something.

Cocking an eyebrow Roy asked "Looking for something Elric"?

Edward turned his scorching gaze at him and Roy felt like he was under the suns rays. "A payphone" he answered curtly.

"Ah, got a girlfriend you have to call" Roy asked teasing slightly.

Edward jumped at that sentence and yelled "No I just want to call my brother and let him know!"

"Calm down boy. There's one over there" he said motioning towards the wall.

Edward ignored him then and proceeded to the phone where he entered some change and dialed the numbers with his right hand.

What had Edward gotten? Was it plastic prosthetics or automail?

He was too far away for Roy to hear what he was saying and by the time that Riza had come back with the tickets Edward was done with the phone call and had come back to where they were standing.

Wordlessly they had all walked together to the train. He allowed Riza to board onto it first and then Edward and then himself. Seeing Edward go into the train he saw a symbol of a cruixified snake with a crown and two wings on the top. _'What did it mean' _Roy wondered.

They settled into a compartment and within moments the train left the station.

Riza was sitting down next to Roy and Edward sat across from them. He opened his suitcase and retried a book from it and opened it up and begun to read from it.

After a few moments Roy had excused himself and walked to the end of the train where all the phones were kept. He went to one and picked it up; with his left hand he dialed the number for Hughes' office and waited.

"Lieutenant-Colonel Hughes" his voice answered.

"Hughes? It's me" Roy said into the speaker.

"Roy? What are you doing calling me, don't I usually call you? Or wait did you finally realize how cute Elicia is and want to hear more about her" he sounded excited and happy at that motion.

"Hughes this is important" Roy tried to get into his head but before he could Hughes had already started on one of his famous talks about his daughter. Roy knew even though he couldn't see it he had started to take pictures out of nowhere about her.

"Of course this is important, it's my little girl we are talking about" he exclaimed.

"No we are talking about your godson here" Roy said.

He heard Hughes fall silent and the rustle of paper falling onto the desk.

"Edward" he asked.

"How many other godsons do you have" he asked sarcastically.

Hughes had all of a sudden gotten very somber and quiet. "So he is going to become a state dog huh? Like father like son I guess".

"You said to call you when we were going there so I am just letting you know ahead of time" Roy told him.

"Yeah I did." Roy heard Hughes heave a heavy sigh before saying "I'll see you all when you get here I guess" before hanging up.

Roy stood there for a moment feeling a bit more then dumbstruck. Never had Hughes ever hang up on him, it was always the opposite. Hughes would get into one of his family rants and Roy would lose his temper and smash the phone back into its cradle.

After a few moments he went back to the compartment where Riza was waiting for his return.

He slid back into it silently but he didn't even think it would matter. Edward was so into his book he wouldn't have noticed if someone shot a gun at him.

He had amazing concentration for a twelve year old as he watched Edward's eyes scan the papers of the book.

A half hour passes before Edward makes any movement, not taking his eyes off of the book he slid one sleeve of his red coat off and then the other until it fell to the seat.

Something that caught his eye was his right hand. His shirt sleeve was long enough to cover his arm but he wasn't wearing any gloves so a metal hand was available for the entire world to see.

He had chosen automail.

"Elric what is that" he asked. He really wanted to know whether or not Edward had really chosen that pain filled road.

Edward didn't even look up from the book or give any indication that he had even heard Roy's question.

"Elric" he said a bit louder. And he was still ignored. He gave him another moment before yelling "Elric"!

Edward jumped in his seat and looked up startled. "What" he asked as if he couldn't believe someone would say it that loud.

"I called your name three times Elric" Roy said coldly.

"Well geez you don't have to shout, just shake me or something."

"You have an amazing concentration Edward. You didn't even hear the sounds around you from reading your book" Riza complimented which caused the boy to blush slightly, but it left as soon as it came.

"I just like to read" he mumbled, before opening the book to where he left off.

"Before you start to read once more I wish to ask you something. What is that?" he asked, motioning to his right hand.

He laid the book down on his left side and looked at his right arm. He unconsciously tugged his sleeve up in an effort to cover his hand but it was too short to reach it.

"It's my new hand. You didn't expect me to stay in that wheelchair did you?" he asked rhetorically.

"Automail" Riza asked quietly.

"Yeah" Edward said nodding. "The surgery was excruciating and the rehabilitation was even worse" he added.

There was a moment of silence as that sunk in. What had their son gone through to regain his lost limbs?

A few moments passed in a tense silence before Edward picked up his book once more and continued where he left off.

Soon Riza had to excuse herself to make a phone call herself and left the compartment. Roy noticed Edward's eyes followed her out. He laid the book down.

"Who is she" he asked.

"_Your mother" _he **wanted **to say but withheld it.

"She is Riza Hawkeye and a Lieutenant under my command. She is also my bodyguard" he added the last part almost as an afterthought.

Most people who had heard that Riza was his bodyguard wouldn't believe that a woman would be able to protect a man.

Until of course she unloaded a pack of bullets around them.

Instead Edward nodded in agreement and a corner of his mouth lifted as if to smile.

Roy raised an eyebrow. "You don't think anything about it" he asked.

Edward shrugged his shoulders and said "No, why should I"?

Roy looked at him in semi-amazement and gave a small laugh. "Most people can't believe that I would have a and trust a woman protect me in battle" he replied.

Edward snorted. "Trust me I never underestimate women. A young girl made my automail" he said motioning to his arm and a downward motion to his leg. "And Al's and mine alchemy teacher is a woman. Very strong and very powerful. You do not want to make her angry or she will beat you down to hell" he said shaking his head.

"Which I take for you know from experience" Roy said.

He nodded and said "During our training we sometimes didn't listen so she beat us. She taught us how to fight and defend ourselves so even then she beat us. And just in general to get a point across".

So Edward already had a respect for woman and knew that they were able to take care of themselves. One hard lesson that he didn't need to learn in the military.

All too soon the train pulled into Central Station. They gathered their belongings and left the train.

The walk to Central Headquarters was tense and quiet. Edward appeared to be calm and even a little bit indifferent on the outside but in the inside he was freaking out and a bundle of nerves.

He was however good at hiding his true emotions, almost like a trained solider, for someone who has never had any training.

They walked up the stairs of Central Headquarters and Edward followed Roy towards the examination room. On the way there however they met with Hughes.

**(Ok this never had happened in the manga but I have to put Hughes in there, I mean he is the godfather of Edward and everything.)**

"Hey Roy" he cried out happily.

"Hello Hughes" Roy said emotionlessly. Please don't take the pictures out; please don't take the pictures out.

"What are you doing in Central anyway Roy?" Hughes asked.

Roy scowled inwardly. Hughes knew just why he was here but that didn't mean he had to add salt to wounds.

"I am here escorting Edward Elric to the alchemy examination Lieutenant-Colonel Hughes." he said briefly.

Hughes looked around for a moment before bending his head to the ground and finally saw Edward.

"They are letting a kid into the military" he said incredulously. "How old are you anyway kid" he asked Edward.

"I'm twelve years old" he said stiffly. His eyes were narrowed and there seemed to be a warning in them.

Hughes blinked a few times before saying "Your twelve? You look like your ten or something".

What happened next has the similarity to a volcano erupting. Edward didn't yell. He **screamed. **"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A RUNT SO TINY HE COULDN'T BE SEEN WITH A MAGNIFYING GLASS"!!!

Roy took a step back as did Riza and Hughes who held up his hands in surrender and quickly said "I didn't say all that".

"You were thinking it" Edward screamed at him.

Edward reminded Roy so much of how he was when he was at that age. Granted he didn't scream like that when someone mentioned his height but he did have a temper.

He also reminded Roy of Riza, who might've not shown her temper in that manner she just shot everyone in sight when she was pissed.

Riza quickly reached out and grabbed Edward's shoulder before he would do something he would have regretted.

"Edward the examination room is this way, please follow me. And leave your suitcase with Colonel Mustang he will watch it for you" she said before gripping his arm tightly and leaded him towards the right room.

Hughes and Roy watched them as they left. When they turned the corner Hughes smiled.

"Lively kid isn't he" he asked rhetorically.

Roy smiled as well. He had watched Edward until he had gone around the corner.

"You know he reminds me of a certain young someone who had no respect for authorities and a big temper" he said innocently.

Roy smirked "You read my mind Hughes."

"So that's my godson" Hughes whispered.

"And my son" Roy agreed.

There was a few moments of silence where each man was withdrawn into their own thoughts before Roy broke it by saying "Anyway I best go and see how he is doing so far and hope that he didn't attack anyone so I'll see you later Hughes".

Hughes waved him off and said "Make sure to bring him over to my house some time later. I'm sure Gracia will want to meet him as well" before going his separate way.

Roy nodded and bended down to pick up the suitcase. It was heavy! He stumbled for a moment before finally getting a good grip on it and lifting it.

How many books did Edward bring with him anyway? And from how he saw Edward pick it up earlier he would have thought it just had some clothes or something light like that.

He then walked to the waiting room where guests accompanying the people taking the alchemy exam waited and saw Riza sitting in one of the chairs looking over some papers.

She looked up when she heard his footsteps and when he reached her he deposited the suitcase on the ground next to her and said "That kids carries rocks in his suitcase nothing else" he complained.

She cracked a small smile before it disappeared and she looked at the suitcase then at the see-through glass. Roy looked over as well.

He saw Edward hunched over a desk with papers on it writing madly.

Roy chuckled. It was in a way a proud moment for him to watch his son try out for, and most likely pass, the state alchemy test which very few people pass. It gave him some sort of satisfaction.

He remembered something from years ago before they had to give Edward to the Elric's. Smirking he turned to Riza who met his smirk with a raised eyebrow.

"Sir" she questioned.

"Looks like he has chosen alchemy instead of shooting guns at his superiors" he remarked casually taking immense joy at the slight blush on her cheeks.

She turned her face towards the glass once more and said "That's good. He is already becoming a dog of the military I don't want him to stain his hands with blood anymore then he has to".

"True, true" Roy said sitting down next to her.

Time passed by slowly. Not that they noticed it. They were too busy watching their son. Every move he made their eyes followed him. They watched every reaction he had from the crease in his forehead to the impatient flick of his hair when it got into his eyes.

He had Riza's hair color, her family eye color and shape, and some other minor details. The shape of his face, of his mouth, nose, and so many other details that defined him was Roy's. One thing that struck him odd was that ridiculous cowlick of his. That antenna, for lack of a better word seemed to never go down and always stay up no matter what.

And he had amazing concentration as well.

No matter what happened he never looked up from his paper. Most of the time when people were stuck on a problem they would fidget in their seat and move around and sometimes look up at the wall as if it had all the answers but Edward never looked up nor did he ever move. In fact the only movement he made was using his left hand to write the answer or to turn the page to the next one.

Time had no relevance for them. They could have spent forever just watching their son but it caught up with them when he stood up and handed the papers to the instructor and leave the room. Once he got out of the room he stretched his arms above his head and moved them around.

Roy and Riza got up and walked towards him, after Roy nearly pulled out his back in picking up Edward's suitcase.

Once he was in front of him once more he asked "What exactly do you have in this suitcase of yours Elric"?

Edward smirked. Riza felt her heart stop for a moment. His and Roy's were one in the same. If she didn't know any better she would have said that Edward had learned it from Roy.

Edward then answered snidely "Why too heavy for an old man like yourself?"

Roy narrowed his eyes. Oh he was just like that when he first joined the military. Rude to his superiors, talking back to them. And the way it seemed for Edward he would never get rid of that. This is going to be interesting, but first some fun.

"Oh no, but I am a bit worried about carried all this weight. It would be too easy for you to be crushed under this entire big load" he said slyly.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SOMEONE SO SMALL THAT A LITTLE BAG WOULD SMASH THEM INTO A PANCAKE BECAUSE THEY CAN'T LIFT IT" Edward screamed at him. Ah just what he was looking for, that reaction.

He smirked and was about to say something else before he heard the tell-tale sign of Riza getting ready to shoot something.

Or more accurately someone.

So from years of experience he shut his mouth and turned to the direction to the examination room.

He can practically hear Edward smirking and saying in a not so quiet voice, loud enough for Roy to hear but not for Riza to hear "Whipped".

Roy pretended to not hear that and continued walking.

"You have to go in there" he said pointing to the examination room. Edward nodded and walked in leaving behind Roy and Riza. Roy watched until the door closed and said "Follow me lieutenant" and walked towards the balcony where he can watch the exam take place.

He sat down comfortably and watched Edward walk in with some examiners. They walked to middle of the room and then stopped where they turned to Edward.

Roy crossed his arms. He didn't see Edward bring any chalk, or like him any gloves, there wasn't anything on the palm of his hands either. So how was he going to perform alchemy? From his stance and look on his face he was confident and sure. What was his plan?

Then to everyone's surprise the Furher himself walked inside. The Furher had never watched an alchemy exam. So why was he here now? Was it because Edward was twelve years old?

Roy saw the Furher look towards Edwards arm. He was close enough to hear the Furher ask "A prosthetic arm"?

Edward rubbed his wrist and answered "From the East civil area".

That was what they were going to say, that when the Ishbalans bombed the east area he had lost his limbs in that accident and it seemed that the Furher believed it because he said "Yes those Ishbalans did put up a hell of a fight" before turning towards them and saying "Begin the examination".

He saw Edward point in the direction of the Furher and turn to the overseer of the test and whispered something to him, when he replied Edward had turned away and Roy could see that his eyes had gotten a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"Alright remember to stay calm. You may begin" the overseer said before asking "Wait did you bring your tools needed to make your transmutation" to which Edward replied "Don't need them" and clapped his hands together and placed them on the ground.

To the shock of everyone there when he raised his hands everyone saw a spear made from alchemy, based on the way all the particles came from the ground and onto Edwards hands, raised up from the ground and Edward grabbed it when it was complete and held it to the side, he also seemed to be glaring at the Furher.

Transmutation without the circles? How on earth did Edward learn that? Was his teacher that good to teach them that much? All thoughts however were banished from his mind when he saw Edward raise the spear and charge straight at the Furher.

He sat in his chair amazed that Edward would try to do that while everyone else was yelling and getting ready to charge down there. If the Furher was killed that opened something in the higher promotions for him, but he didn't want Edward to be the one to kill him!

However Edward stopped about an inch from the Furher, who didn't look fazed or worried at all, with the guns of all the guards near him and pointing straight at his head. With a signal from the Furher they put the guns back in their holsters.

"If I was really an assassin, you'd be dead right now. Maybe you guys should rethink this testing process, don't you think?" he heard Edward tell to the Furher.

The Fuehrer rubbed his chin. "That's true. I think I will give that some thought."

"You insolent twerp! You've failed! You hear me? YOU FAILED!" the tester, exclaimed."

"Um . . . Did I go too far?" he asked. For some reason it didn't seem to faze him that much, but Roy could see in his eyes that he was a bit worried at that.

"That's not your decision to make. His written tests and psychological tests were adequate, and his practical skills are obviously incredible, but most of all, he has guts. His only fault is that he's inexperienced in the world."

The fuehrer walked past him and Ed heard a snap. He looked at his spear and saw the point fall to the ground, Roy saw Edwards eyes grow in surprise. Edward turned to see that the Furher had his sword out and was waving goodbye.

"I look forward to the test results. Keep up the good work young alchemist."

Ed stared at the point and back at the Furher a few more times then in an astounded voice said, "When in the hell did he draw his sword?"

Roy settled back in his seat with a smile on his face.

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Once they were outside and walking towards the station once more Roy mentioned to Edward "I must say that you put on quite a show,"

To which Edward just snarled "Would you shut up? I should charge you a spectator's fee."

"You are extremely lucky to get out of there alive after pointing a spear at the Fuehrer. Even if it was some sort of joke. If you get your license then you will be a part of the military. Your license will be provoked if there is any doubt of your loyalty to Bradley." Roy lectured Edward.

"Be careful huh? I should say the same to you," he said.

'_What was he talking about' _Roy wondered. Riza looked at him in confusion as well.

Edward looked at them from the corner of his eyes and said "When I pointing my spear at him, you were the only one that didn't seem very alarmed. That's hardly the reaction of a loyal subordinate."

Roy was shocked in the inside for a moment but then relaxed. Edward had indeed inherited the 'hawks-eye' from his mother's side of the family. His back was to Roy when he had done that and had only turned around for a moment but he had missed nothing.

Roy stopped walking and leaned toward Riza, "He has a point doesn't he?" Roy asked.

"Colonel, in those kinds of situations you should at least act like you're concerned." Riza sighed heavily.

They began walking once more. "If you had done away with him back there, then it would have opened a position for me," Roy said.

"Hey! Wait a minute. . ." Ed got a mischvious smile on his face. "Maybe I should snitch on you to the military command." So Edward thought he had the upper hand did he? Well even though Roy knew that he would never do that he had to be taught a little something. Do not play with those stronger then you.

Roy laughed slightly "And where would that get you though?" he questioned.

"What do you mean by that?" Edward asked.

"I've got dirt of my own you know. "Do not create human's, Do not create gold, and swear absolute loyalty to the military. Those are three rules a state alchemist must never break. You attempted a transmutation. If that were to be made known your career would be over before it even took off. Most likely Al would be sent to a lab and be studied."

He looked over at Edward who was looking at him in horror. "Catch my drift squirt? You keep your past a secret and accept the license if you get it, as if this conversation never happened and my own stock in the military will rise for finding such a talented little alchemist."

Ed stopped walking and clinched his fists in anger.

"As long as your little secret stays under wraps we both win. Don't be getting any ideas about telling anything about what I've said." Roy finished.

"Why you lousy!" Ed growled.

"You've got a few days till they announce the results. They will be sent to East City when they are complete, and you find out whether or not you passed."

Roy remembered that Hughes asked him to stop by his house before they left but they had to leave soon and couldn't afford to waste time. Next time then, he would understand.

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In no time at all they were at the station and awaiting their train. It was going to be a few hours late. After an hour passed Edward had gotten up from his seat and looked around.

"Looking for another phone Elric" Roy asked.

Edward said nothing, aside from glaring at him. It appeared that he was still mad about earlier. Whether it was the short jokes or the information he had over the Elric's he didn't know.

He spotted one a few feet away and walked towards it. It was still close enough that Roy and Riza, who were trained in combat and when it comes to listening in to conversations were able to hear it.

"Hey granny it's me. Is Al there I want to talk to him" they heard Edward say.

He waited for a few moments before saying once more "Hey Al it's me".

Al said something on the other line, which was too far to hear, and to which Edward replied "Yeah I finished taking the exam. Hardest thing I had to ever take. I'll tell you more about it when I come back."

Riza felt something in her chest tighten at the words 'When I'll come back'. She wanted to grab Edward, hold him close, and scream "You are staying here with me and Roy"!

But that would be unprofessional. Not to mention the questions she would have to answer.

Huh she just realized something. If…no when Edward passed the exam his rank will be major, and she was just a lieutenant. Her twelve year old son was higher then she was. That thought put a small smile on her face.

Her thoughts were brought back to the present when she heard Edward exclaim "No Al, Al! Do not put her on here. Please do not put her on…hi Winry" he said sounding defeated in the end.

Winry. That little girl from Resembol that she talked to when she and Roy went there a year ago. She had seen a lot of potential in that little girl, and if she was being truthful she saw a bit of herself from when she was at that age.

"Yes Winry I am taking good care of the automail" Edward sighed into the phone.

Winry said something on the other line to which Edward replied with a bite of venom in his voice "I didn't take that oil with me because there was no room in my suitcase from all my books".

What Winry said next they had no problem hearing since she screamed it so loud everyone in the five mile radius had heard it "WELL THEN MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TAKEN SO MANY BOOKS WITH YOU"!

Edward clutched his ear and glared at the phone and screamed back just as loud "YOU JUST BROKE MY EARDRUM"!

"GOOD MAYBE THAT WILL ENCOURAGE YOU TO LISTEN TO ME" Winry screamed back.

"LOSER MACHINE JUNKIE" Edward screamed.

"ALCHEMY FREAK" Winry shot back just as loud.

"YOU KNOW WHAT I'LL JUST TALK TO YOU WHEN I GET BACK HOME" Edward screamed once more before slamming the phone back in his cradle. He turned towards everyone, who were watching him with round eyes and he screamed "WHAT" at them to which they all immediately turned away and walking as far away as their legs could've taken them.

Edward glaring at nothing walked back to where Roy and Riza were sitting rubbing his ear all the way.

He had to, he just had to "Girlfriend troubles Elric" Roy asked.

Whipping around Edward hissed "She is not my girlfriend."

Then he sat back down on the seat, crossed his arms and legs and glared at the floor growling softly.

After a few more hours, and about three books for Edward that he read and in the middle of a fourth, the train had finally arrived and the passengers boarded it gratefully and a bit aggravated.

Finally the train left the station and they were on their way to East City once more.

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The time passed in a blur. And all too soon Edward was in his office once more and was awaiting his results.

A small box on the table was opened to reveal a watch.

"This watch proves that you are a State Alchemist. Guard it with your life." he said pushing the box towards him. He watched as Edward sat in the chair in front of him opened the box and he saw the awe on his face for a moment before it disappeared.

"Also, here is your certificate and other forms. I don't have time to read them all to you myself." Roy said.

"Do your job slacker" Edward told him. Did he really think that Roy would listen to him?

He opened the top of the envelope to read a bit of the paper to see what Ed's State name is. He chuckled a bit once he read the name. "Well, this is rather ironic. I guess it proves the Fuehrer has a sense of humor."

"What do you mean?" Ed asked.

"Never mind" Roy said. "Congratulations you are officially a dog of the military" Roy said handed Ed the certificate.

His son was now a dog of the military. May Riza, who was undoubtedly waiting outside and polishing her guns, have mercy on his soul.

And may whoever watches over alchemists protect and keep his son safe.

"By the power vested in me as Fuehrer President, I King Bradley I hereby bestow upon Edward Elric the title of Fullmetal," Ed read aloud. He looked up at Roy in question. "Fullmetal?"

"That's right. When you become a state alchemist you get a codename. From now on you will be known as the Fullmetal Alchemist."

Edward lifted an eyebrow. "Fullmetal huh?"

He grinned; it wasn't a happy grin or a sadistic one. It was one full of confidence and pride and a promise. "Don't worry I wont let it weigh me down" he said.

He got up then. "I need to go back to Resembol for a little while. When should I be back" he asked.

Roy leaned back in his chair and said "Be back in a week or less Fullmetal Alchemist" he said.

Edward nodded towards him, gathered his belongings and left. Roy heard him say goodbye to Riza in the front. He sighed heavily and slumped in his seat.

A few minutes later he heard the door open and when he looked up he saw Riza staring at him with blank eyes.

She just stood there looking at him and he sat in his chair watching her. Then as one he got up and walked towards her and she started to walk towards him. He gathered her in his arms and she put her arms around him. She cried into his shirt holding onto him while he clutched her close to his body and tears flowed down his face as well. They were both crying for their sons lost childhood and innocence that he will never get back.

**Ok wow. That was long for me. Seventeen bloody pages. Wow.**

**Ah the first short jokes and rants. Believe me when I say that Hughes did not mean that, he was surprised that Edward was that short. Teehee.**

**And I need help with the short rants, I made up the second one on my own and it took me like a half hour to think that one up. It is hard to think like Edward Elric. And it hurts my brain.**

**Do you guys have any favorite scenes from the anime that you want to see here? Tell me and I might do it if it fits in the story. Just one thing. I will not do episode 13 where Edward and Roy have a alchemy fight, I think I am the only Fangirl that doesn't like that episode.**

**And like I said before there will be many Ed/Win hints here.**

**And one more thing.**

**I need something to put in the 'Walk Forward' thing that Edward follows, I have an idea for it but if anyone else has an idea for it and I like it I will gladly use it and give you the credit.**

**Ok I think that's all for now.**

**Remember I accept all kinds of reviews; flames make me think of Roy's alchemy truthfully.**

**So until next time this is Phoenix-Fire Power over and out.**


	7. Chapter 7

-1**A/N: ****hey people!**

**Ok I know this chapter is really late but I have reasons.**

**For the first part I was really, really sick. I got better. But then since I wasn't eating anything I got sick even more. And then I had big writers block for this story.**

**I decided that I could skip that part that I wanted to do and just move on with this story.**

**I hope you guys enjoy it.**

**Oh and could you guys please read my new story 'A Different Place'? It would mean a lot.**

**Oh and there is one bad word in here. So rating for that.**

**Disclaimer: ****I own nothing.**

Time passes.

Sometimes it is amazing at how much time did pass. One day it seems like Edward is still a twelve year old getting on the train to tell his 'brother' that he was able to become a State Alchemist and the next he was thirteen and constantly in the library researching.

With each passing day more and more pride grew in Roy's and Riza's chest as they watched their son whenever he was in East City.

There were just so many reasons to be proud of him. He was an alchemic genius; you had to be when you obtain a State Alchemist license at the age of twelve. He was an amazing fighter, they watched when Alphonse and Edward trained; or at least what they called training. To Roy and Riza it seemed more like they were trying to kill each other, all the moves he knew and all sorts of strategies. He was a handsome boy and when the time came he would be an even more handsome man, Riza was more worried that it would go to Edward's head and he would become like his father.

Roy's subordinates were stunned and objected to having a child in the military. When they actually met Edward they said that to his face and then before he could say anything back Jean had challenged him. The moment the words left his lips Edward had him on his back.

When he got up he said "You just caught me off guard".

Edward then said that he'll let Jean have the first punch, which he did let but grabbed it, twisted it, brought it down, and pulled it around his back.

It wasn't until Edward pulled on Jean's arm to breaking point that Jean had finally admitted defeat. For a few months after that Jean had a hatred for Edward Elric and was one of the first people that would be quick to insult him, of course that was whenever Riza was away and Roy was in his office. Riza was fiercely protective of Edward; the others pinned it to her being a woman and Edward being a child. And Roy although also insulted him was just as quick to defend him both in words and in a snap of fire from his fingers if those insults went too far. It wasn't until Edward had come back from a mission to hand his report in with bandages that had blood seeping through them, around his stomach and collapse from blood loss that Jean's hatred finally diminished. Now his jokes and insults were full of good humor and said with a smile. He took it upon himself to be like an uncle to Edward

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Edward constantly came back from his missions in worse condition then when he left.

It was common for Mustang, his men, Riza, or Hughes to see the teenager in the hospital with nearly his entire body broken, and more often then not his automail broken in some way. That's how in fact everyone mentioned, except for Hughes seeing as they were in East City, had met his mechanic Winry.

"I called Winry brother. She says she'll come here to do the repairs" Alphonse Elric said entering his brothers hospital room where everyone was crowded in.

"Winry? A girl? Sounds like someone has a girlfriend chief" Havoc said teasingly towards Edward.

Edward immediately turned red and he yelled "She is not my girlfriend" and tried to get up towards Havoc but when he stood up he froze and his left arm curled around his ribcage.

Alphonse had immediately got to Edward's side and chided him for not being more careful.

"Who's Winry Edward?" Kain Fuery asked. He was a Master Sergeant on Mustang's team and was an expert with communications and surveillance equipment. He also had a soft heart that rivaled Alphonse's love with cats.

Edward glanced at Fuery. "She's just my childhood friend and my automail mechanic" he answered.

"Your automail mechanic is a girl?" Heymans Breda asked skeptically. Breda was a Second Lieutenant who possessed a remarkably keen intellect and strategic aptitude. He was nearly unbeatable in any games and the only record in date was that Edward beat him in chess.

Breda froze however when he heard the familiar sound of a gun's safety being turned off. "And what exactly is wrong with a girl being a mechanic Second Lieutenant" Riza asked.

Gulping he said quickly to her "Nothing at all! I was just surprised."

He also distinctively heard Edward murmur "Bullshit" which he chose to ignore.

Edward then looked at everyone in the room "Shouldn't you all be working?"

"Yeah we should but we decided to see you. Gives us an excuse to not work" Havoc said around the cigarette in his mouth.

"Oh so I'm just an excuse for you lazy people to not do work? I feel so loved" Edward said sarcastically.

The group continued to joke until the hospital jokingly threatened to call security so they bid Edward a goodnight and promised to visit him in the morning.

True to their words they came and around ten o'clock, when Edward was out of bed and standing in front of door, a new visitor arrived.

"Look I am perfectly fine, the hospital should just let me out alrea Ow!" he screamed the last part. Everyone was startled and were stunned to find that someone had hit him over the head with a piece of metal.

He was on his knees and had his left hand on the back of his head "Ow! Who the hell-" he started to say turning around but when he saw who was behind the doorway he stopped short.

"Brother!" Alphonse said going over to Edward. And behind him another person walked into the room.

Everyone saw a girl, no older than thirteen, with long blonde hair and blue eyes. She wore a short skirt and a regular t-shirt and had her hair in a pony tail with her side bangs out like Edward. In her left hand she held a tool box and in her right she held a wrench. The look on her face was pure anger.

"What the hell was that for?" Edward asked getting off the ground.

In answer she dropped the tool box and swung her right arm once more at Edward who jumped back in order to dodge it.

"I get a call in the in the afternoon from Alphonse saying that you were in the hospital and needed me to come here to help fix your automail" she hissed. "You are constantly in the hospital and your automail is always breaking!" she yelled.

"Before I do anything I want to know something. What the hell do you and Al keep getting into" she yelled.

Edward winced from her screams. He then turned his head to the side and said "There is no reason for you to be concerned about this".

The girl, they assumed it was Winry, took a step forward and said "No reason! I have every reason to be concerned about this. You and Al are like my family and I want to know what you two are doing!"

Edward's head snapped to her "And I told you. Don't worry about that".

Winry's eyes narrowed. "Edward. Hohenheim. Elric".

'_That's what they picked as his middle name? That bastards name?' _Roy thought to himself.

Edward flinched at hearing his 'full' name and turned his head away once more "Drop it Winry" he told her.

"Or what" she asked.

Edward obtained a glint in his eyes. "Or I'll switch to a different mechanic" he said shrugging his shoulders.

The color drained from Winry's face, it would have been comical if she didn't have such a stricken look on her face. "You. Wouldn't. Dare" she said.

"Watch me" Edward said simply getting up from the bed and walked towards the door.

Winry grabbed his collar and pushed him back to the bed. "Lay down I have to take some measurements to see if you need adjusting".

Blinking Edward obeyed but before he did he turned to everyone in the room, whom everyone had a small smile on their faces, and said "Everyone this is Winry Rockbell" and motioning to the girl who was rummaging through her tool box and pulled out a measuring tape.

"Hi" she said not even looking at them. She had as much concentration on mechanic as Edward did with alchemy.

Everyone watched in amusement as Winry measured and fixed certain places in Edward's arm and leg. There seemed to be a tense silence between the two teenagers.

"I worry you know" she said suddenly.

"Huh?" Edward asked.

"I'm just worried about you and Al. always getting into trouble, every time I see anymore you're in the hospital. I'm just worried" Winry told him.

"Hey we're alive aren't we?" Edward asked trying to make a joke.

"Don't even joke about that Edward!" Winry yelled slightly. Her voice and arms started to shake slightly and they could see a drop of water fall down her cheek.

Edward saw it as well. "Sorry" he mumbled.

It was also clear, from their actions through out the day, that while there were no romantic feelings towards one another they were there deep inside and would emerge after the turnabout point of childhood into adulthood. It was apparent that in time they would realize what they felt to one another and act on it. Which led to Riza worrying and having Roy and Edward talk.

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Roy Mustang was a Colonel in the military. He fought in the Ishballan War and survived. He had stared death in the eye and escaped it.

And sitting behind his desk with his hands folded in front of him and staring at Edward who was sitting in front of the desk in a chair gazing out the window he wished that he was once more fighting in the war instead of doing what he had to do right now.

Roy cleared his throat which obtained Edward's attention before a few moments passed in silence and his gaze returned to the window with a bit of irritation in them.

Roy took a deep breathe and said to Edward "Now Fullmetal, I'm guessing that you are wondering why you are here".

"I've been thinking about that for the past twenty minutes bastard" Edward answered.

Roy took a deep breathe. He could do this. He could do this. "Now I am here to talk to you about a certain matter." he said before falling silent once more. Where did he begin?

"Any time you want to start Colonel Bastard" Edward said.

He can't do this. He opened his mouth to tell Edward to leave, that it wasn't that important when Riza appeared in his minds eye.

_"Do it or I will shoot you"_ she had said before summoning Edward to his office.

"I'm here to talk to you about sex Edward" Roy said in a rush.

The color drained from his face and almost as quick came back causing his face to turn bright red. "What?"

Roy took a deep breath. "I said. I am here to talk to you about sex." ok there went the hard part, or so he hoped.

Edward said nothing but continued to look at him with his mouth open and his face a bright red.

Roy took another deep breath, he could do this. "Now then Edward. sexual intercourse should be strictly between a man and a woman, however there are other...choices that some people will have chosen" at that a thought struck roys head. "You're not gay are you?" he asked. If Edward was gay then he would have to think of a whole new way to talk about that. How did two men do it anyway? **[I don't need to know incase you guys were wondering]**

"I'm not gay you idiot" Edward screeched his face turning even more red if that was possible.

Ok that helped, and Roy could still use the first talk. **[I have nothing against gay people just so you know]**

"Two people should have sex when they are in love with each other. For some they wait for marriage first while others do not. it might start off as innocent flirting with a girl but in the future it might turn to something else entirely, which is why you should always use protection when you are having sex" Roy said. He was going to need a drink after this.

"Protection?" Edward asked. Oh dear lord this boy was trying to kill him.

"You don't know about protection?" Roy asked_. 'Please say yes and before you were just joking'._

Edward shook his head, his blush was starting to go down but Roy knew that he was only a matter of time before he came back.

"Protection is different for the girl and the boy. For the girl she has to take a pill everyday that will protect her from getting pregnant. The boy, when ever he participates in sex, wears a condom." Roy told him.

Edward looked confused, that will not be pretty. "And a condom is..." he asked.

Roy trained his eyes at a point above Edward and continued about what a condom was exactly and how it was used. [I want to keep this story a T rating so unfortunately I will not be putting that much more about this stuff]

Roy continued on about how the actual sex works. He told Edward about the 'no' rule. If the girl says no she means no and you are to not force her. He told Edward just about everything the kid needed to know, and then some.

"Now then, any questions?" Roy concluded. _'Thank goodness it's over'_.

Wordlessly, with his eyes closed, Edward shook his head.

"Then you may go. If you ever have any questions however do not hesitate to come to me" _'Please hesitate, please. Or go to someone else but not me'_.

Nodding his head Edward slowly got up and walked out.

Roy heaved a great sigh and slumped in his chair. It was finally over.

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It was common for Roy and Edward to argue. Insults would be shot at both of their mouths that it was almost a reflex.

"You have to learn to control yourself Edward! We can't keep replacing buildings all the time" Roy said to Edward trying to get the younger alchemist to understand.

"I know that! But sometimes the missions go out of hand and I need to take action" Edward countered.

"You don't understand you're still a child" Roy said.

"I'm not a kid anymore so stop treating me as one!" Edward yelled.

"You're short enough to be one" Roy grumbled.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SOMEONE SO SHORT THAT HE COULD BE MISTAKEN AS A PRESCHOOLER" Edward screamed.

"I'll give you a clue, he's standing right in front of me" Roy answered.

"Fuck you bastard" Edward said before turning to the door.

"Edward listen to me for once in your life" Roy asked.

"You can't tell me what to do Mustang. You're not my father!" he said before leaving and slamming the door shut.

Roy stood there in a daze from those words. 'You're not my father'. He fell backwards into his chair.

"Yes I am" he whispered into the empty office.

**It's not as long as my other ones but I wasn't really planning to do it like this but for the long run I think I did pretty good.**

**I was planning to put in that 'Your not my father' thing for a while and I like to make a shout out to my friend Zainab who has helped me through a lot of these stories and also wanted that line in there. That's for you Zai!**

**There isn't that much more to say I guess.**

**As always I am open to all sorts of reviews, flames, and ideas. And speaking of ideas here's one.**

**Do you guys want the next chapter to still be Edward not knowing anything or rather have the next chapter be where the truth is finally coming out?**

**Here is a sample of that chapter:**

"You lied to us Hohenheim".

**I'm not going to tell you who said it or anything else. Just answer the question.**

**But if you want the next chapter not to be about the truth then please tell what it is that you do want in it because I have no idea what I should write.**

**This is Phoenix-Fire Power over and out.**


	8. Chapter 8

-1**A/N: ****hey people!  
Wow two chapters in two days? Am I back on track?**

**This is a filler chapter to work up to the next one. The one you guys were waiting for.**

**I like this one because it has Parental Roy/Ed moments and a Parental Riza/Ed moment.**

**Oh and jealous Roy! That's always good.**

**Disclaimer: ****I own nothing.**

Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. The years pass almost unnoticed. The changes are clear in Edward. The weight he had lost and the dark circles under his eyes caused by spending night after night in the library. Roy and Riza watched over Edward whenever they could seeing as his travels often brought them to other places and it sometimes seemed like Edward wanted to avoid Roy at all costs.

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Something that irked him however was, strangely enough, Hughes.

It was a comforting fact that whenever Edward was in Central, and he was there quite often seeing as the excessive library was there with all sorts of documents that held new leads for him, that Hughes was always there to take, and he meant literally forcibly take them, to his house for a warm home cooked meal and a place to rest.

But what made him mad most of all was that Hughes sometimes seemed to be trying to take the place of a father figure in Edward's life when he knew that Roy was his father.

"Hughes you are my best friend and sometimes you are more like a brother to me. But why are you doing that?" Roy once asked him his anger getting the best of him.

"Doing what?" Hughes had asked him.

"Trying to take my place as Edward's father" Roy said.

Hughes just stood there blinking when a great smile lit up his face. "I'm not trying to take your place Roy" he said gently.

Before Roy could snap back at him he continued "I offer them a place at my home because I care about them. Edward is my godson after all and Alphonse is like his brother and they are both welcome. They think they have no family besides each other and I'm showing them that family isn't by blood alone. After all they're still kids Roy".

After Maes said that Roy was left feeling guilty and remorseful. He vowed not to be so…jealous of such a small thing anymore.

'_And speaking of small things' _he thought to himself as he watched Edward smash the door in once more as his own tell-tale sign that said 'I'm here now pat attention to me'.

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Disaster after disaster seemed to follow the poor child everywhere he went. From the fake priest in Lior to a father turning his own child into a chimera along with her dog. An alchemist killer that nearly quite killed him and causing his right arm to burst into pieces.

No one would ever know just how terrified Roy Mustang was when he heard the State Alchemist killer was in the city where Edward was unknowingly vulnerable. When he heard Hughes warning him his mind immediately went to Edward and he grabbed the closest Sergeant and ordered him to find the Elric's location and get them to headquarters.

No one, well maybe Hughes seeing as he was a father himself, would ever be able to understand the fear that was injected into his heart as he and under men raced to where a fight with alchemy was bursting, nor would anyone ever know how his heart almost stopped when he saw Edward crouched on his knees and his right arm destroyed with the killer an inch away from Edward's head.

Later, away from prying eyes and before Edward left for Resembol, he yelled at Edward at how stupid he was for just sitting there with the killer that close to him. Didn't he understand that he couldn't die no matter what? Edward just stared at him with blank eyes not saying a word until Roy had finished.

"Why didn't you get out of there?" Roy finally asked softly after he finished the lecture.

Edward stared at him straight in his eyes and said "Alphonse's armor was destroyed and he couldn't go anywhere. I wasn't going to leave him there or he might've died. I would have rather that Scar had killed me instead of Al." he glanced at the closed door where Armstrong and Alphonse was waiting for him.

"I'm the older brother Colonel. I have to protect him" Edward said.

Roy stood from his desk and walked in front of Edward. He placed his hands on Edward's shoulders and met his surprised gaze. "Your brother wouldn't want you to die Edward. What do you think he would've done? What do you think we would've done?"

Edward looked down and didn't answer but Roy knew that he got the message across. "Dismissed Fullmetal" he said softly.

Edward nodded and left the room without another word.

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Roy could count the number of times on one hand when he felt like his heart was breaking.

When Riza told him that she didn't want a baby.

When they had to give Edward to Trisha and Hohenheim.

And now this.

He watched stoic as they lowered the casket into the ground and Elicia started to scream for her father. His eyes were surprisingly dry as they started to pour the dirt back into the land that was going to cover his brother.

And so it rained heavily for many nights.

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**Most of the lines here are from the manga. I unfortunately do not have them on hand so I looked them up at onemanga. The lines are different from the original however.**

"And we wanted to see Hughes and his family. How are they" his heart stopped for a moment. He turned his head and looked at the smiles on the Elric's and the Rockbell girl. So innocent. Still children.

Looking away he said "He's gone."

"Huh?" Edward asked. He couldn't do it. He can't tell the truth.

"He went back to the country side" Roy said walking away with Riza following him loyally.

"There has been many disturbances in Central. He took his wife and daughter back to the country side. I heard that he was taking over the family business. He's not here anymore." Roy lied. Don't let anything get in his way to get his and Al's body back.

"Oh, I see. That's too bad." he heard Edward say behind him.

"It is dangerous work to be in the military when you have a family after all" Alphonse said.

"I wish we could've seen him off that's all" Winry said sadly.

"The Philosophers Stone and Homunculus right?" Roy said referring to their previous conversation before it turned to Hughes. "I'll contact you if I find any information. Let's go Lieutenant" he said motioning to Riza.

"Yes sir" Riza said following him.

"Fullmetal" he said worry etched into his heart.

"Yeah?" Edward asked from behind him.

"Be more careful for now" he said before leaving.

Once they were away far enough Riza asked without looking at him "Why are you all of a sudden treating him like a child?"

"They have enough problems to worry about for now. The less obstacles, the better" he said trying to hide the truth.

But Riza could always sense when he was lying and when he wasn't "Who am I kidding? I'm just a big of softie as Major Armstrong" he said sighing.

After giving a small smile Riza then went on about one of Armstrongs subordinates that was being accused of being the murderer of Maes Hughes.

Maria Ross. He had met her a few times. Kind and gentle. She spoke very highly of the Elrics and seemed to have developed maternal feelings towards them. She being Hughes' killer…

"Get me all the information about this case. Be quick and discreet about it" Roy ordered Riza. If Maria was the one who killed Hughes, and Roy doubted that she was, then **he **will deal with her.

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The plan was set. The dummy was in place and everyone was ready to go.

Maria Ross was now an escaped prisoner with orders to kill if she resisted. It was better if everyone thought she was dead. Everything went according to plan. They got Maria out of jail, they made it seem like Roy killed her. And she was on her way to freedom.

What they didn't expect, but they should have really the boy had a habit of appearing at the wrong times, was Edward walking in as soon as Maria was out of sight and the dummy burned. This had to be done right. He had to be strong.

"When was Lt. Colonel Hughes killed?" he hissed with his hands in fists shaking. With rage or sadness Roy didn't know.

"Why was 2nd Lt. …" all of a sudden he looked up at Roy, charged at him, and grabbed him by the collar. "For what reason was 2nd Lt. Ross…"

What he did next, although had to be done, he will have never forgiven himself. He raised his arm and punched Edward in the face hard enough for him to let go of his collar and fly backwards.

A memory flashed through his eyes.

_A boy at the age of seven cowering in front of a taller older figure._

"_You are a good for nothing piece of shit. Waste of my flesh!" before the punches and kicks begin._

_Roy tried to hold in his cries but he couldn't help it. He cried and screamed and yelled each time he was hit._

"_Dad stop! You might kill him!" Roy's older brother came in and grabbed his so called father by the arm and stopped him from hitting Roy again._

_Charles Mustang shrugged off his eldest son before spitting near the ground of his youngest before walking away._

_Evan Mustang kneeled in front of Roy "Are you okay little brother?"_

Has it happened?

Had he really become his father?

Before he knew what happened Edward was on his feet. His right hand curled into a fist and he launched himself at Roy only to be stopped by Alphonse.

A part of him, the military part who had no emotions, paid attention to the brothers and said what needed to be said. Another part of him was screaming at that part for hurting his son.

It had to be done.

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Realization. The truth. **[Not the one you were thinking of though]**

**[In the manga when this happens Edward sees Hohenheim for the first time ever since he had left. Here that had never happened, he went to Resembol after learning the truth about Maria and got his arm repaired. That's all.]**

Edward now knew the truth about Hughes and what really had happened to Maria. Armstrong had 'escorted' him back to Resembol to get repairs for his automail, looking over the fact that Winry was staying with him and Alphonse and that Armstrong was the one that broke the automail in the first place.

It was after hours when Edward came back, and Roy was still working to catch up with his paperwork, when Edward came into his office.

They said nothing, just looked at one another. Roy asking for forgiveness in his eyes and Edward with understanding in his eyes. Then without a word Roy put his arms around Edward and hugged him close. Edward in turn allowed himself to get hugged even returning it himself.

Roy was able to breathe easier that night. He was forgiven for hurting Edward.

He was not like his father.

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"Um Lieutenant?" she heard a young voice ask her.

Turning to the door she saw it was Edward. She gave him a warm smile, something she didn't use that often in the work place, and beckoned him to come in.

Edward stood in front of her awkwardly; he kept shifting his weight from one foot to the other and kept looking at the ground.

"Is something wrong Edward" Riza asked him.

"Actually I need some advice." he said.

"Advice on what?" asked Riza. What would a teenage boy go to a grown woman for advice for? Unless it was…could it be?

"Well there's this girl" Yes it was! "And her birthday is coming up. What should I do?" he asked looking up at Riza.

"Does this girl have a name?" she asked slyly.

Edwards face immediately reddened. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to Edward" Riza said quickly holding up her hand.

Gratitude swam in Edwards eyes at that.

"How do you feel about this girl exactly?" she asked him.

"What do you mean?" he asked confusion clear in his voice.

"How long have you known this girl Edward" she asked.

"Years and years" he answered.

"Is she just a friend or something a bit more?"

"She's just a friend" he said quickly.

Just a friend. If this was the girl she was thinking of, and that girl was Winry, then Edward had something coming at him.

"Well if she is just your friend then just get her something that she would like a lot. For example your friend Winry seems to like tools that would help her build more automail" she clued him for a present. "And then take her to a restaurant. If you want to become more then friends then go to the restaurant just the two of you and bring flowers" she finished.

Edward nodded and smiled brightly. "Thanks a lot Lieutenant" before leaving. However he froze and turned back to Riza. She smiled at him and quickly scribbled a number of a good restaurant on a piece of paper and handed it to him.

"Thanks again Lieutenant" he said before leaving.

She smiled slightly before getting back to her work.

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Winry, Edward, and Alphonse were together once more for the first time in about a month and were planning to take a visit to Resembol.

"Edward you need an escort if you want to go to Resembol" Riza said.

"An escort? For what? We can take care of ourselves" Edward said slightly aggravated.

"True but you are also a State Alchemist and a member of the military. You need an escort" Roy countered.

A few moments passed in a tense silence before Edward said "As long as it's not Armstrong then okay."

"All right then. Riza and I will escort you" Roy said. Three, two, one.

"What?" not only Edward but Riza said that as well.

"Riza" he said motioning to Riza who stood there just staring at him. "And I" he pointed to himself. "Will be escorting you, your brother, and your girl- I mean your friend" he said correcting himself as he caught Edwards angered face.

"Why you?" Edward asked.

"Why not us?" Roy shot back.

For a few minutes the two just stared at each other in silence before Edward grumbled "If you want to come then you can come I guess."

And the next day the trio along with Roy and Riza bordered a train to Resembol unaware of how it was going to change everything.

**Maybe after tomorrow I'll post that chapter. Tomorrow if I feel nice and get a lot of reviews ;p.**

**Once more here is a quote from that chapter:**

"You lied to us Hohenheim".

**That's all guys!**

**Until next time this is Phoenix-Fire Power over and out.**


	9. Chapter 9

-1**A/N: ****hey people!**

**Thanks for all your reviews guys I feel so loved.**

**As promised here is the chapter where Edward finds out the truth about his parents. I worked really hard trying to get it right and the way I liked it. I hope you guys liked it too.**

**There is still many chapter left so don't worry.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: ****I own nothing.**

"Ah" Winry said stretching her arms over her head. "As much as I love working in Rush Valley nothing beats coming home every once in a while".

Edward smiled at her and nodded his head in agreement, his eyes focused on the road ahead of them.

Edward, Alphonse, and Winry walked in front of their small group and seemed to be enjoying leading the way through the small town, they waved at people who waved at them and called hello.

Roy and Riza watched the trio. Their relaxed structures that they were just walking together and laughing. Winry was telling Edward off for walking backwards which he just smirked at and ignored. To rebel against Winry in fact he had climbed on top of a short stone wall and was walking backwards on that. It was, in a way, refreshing to see them act their ages for once.

There was no road for a person from the city to follow and they would indeed get lost but the three teenagers were confident in every step they took, they were following the road in their minds.

They came to a fork in the road and stopped. They stared at one way then the other one. As far as Riza could see they both led the same way but the one on the right was basically a shortcut. That was the road that they had taken fifteen years ago.

Edward looked at Alphonse and then at Winry. Then in silent agreement they walked along the left path. Roy and Riza exchanged curious looks before following them.

The trio walked in silence until they came to a small gate. Riza looked over the gate and saw tombstones. This was a cemetery.

Alphonse pushed the gate door open and held it for Edward and Winry and when Roy and Riza hesitated they heard him say "Come on. It's okay. You can come with us" and they followed as well.

They walked ahead some more before Alphonse broke the silence saying "Brother, there's a man standing in front of moms grave".

Edward stopped and looked at the persons back in concentration and then froze. The words "It can't be" gasped from him.

Alphonse turned to his brother uncertainly "Brother who is that" he asked.

Edward didn't answer but set at a brisk pace towards the man, everyone exchanged looks of confusion before running after him.

When the man seemed to sense their presence he turned around to face them. Roy and Riza felt the air leave their bodies. The face of a man that they had trusted with their son stared back at them.

"Hohenheim" Edward breathed, then screamed "Van Hohenheim!"

Hohenheim's gaze went from Roy and Riza to Edward.

"Edward…you've gotten bigger?" Hohenheim…asked?

"Why phase it like a question" Edward said. He was already beginning to lose his temper. Or perhaps it was gone from the moment he saw that bastard here.

"There are quite a lot of rumors about you in Central. The smallest State Alchemist in history?" Hohenheim asked still in that same curious tone of voice.

"The youngest" Edward corrected through clenched teeth. Winry was holding onto his left arm. In reassurance or to make sure he didn't do anything they didn't know.

Hohenheim's eyes left Edwards and looked at the armor which held his real son. The armor shook slightly and they can tell that Alphonse was scared.

"Alphonse I can recognize you anywhere" Hohenheim said warmly.

Alphonse ducked his head and Edwards glare increased.

Hohenheim stared back at Edward then Alphonse "Pinako told me that you two tried to transmute a human being didn't you?" he asked them.

"…" Alphonse didn't say anything but looked at Edward. Embarrassment radiated from him.

Edward on the other hand wasn't silent. He averted his gaze and said "You bastard! How dare you show your face here after all this time?" Winry tightened her grip on his arm.

Hohenheim adopted a frown "How can you call your own **father **a bastard" he asked.

Anger exploded inside Roy. How dare this man call himself Edwards father? He didn't have that right! He felt his fingers itch with the want to snap them and set the bastard in front of him on fire. Riza also narrowed her eyes and felt her hand reach towards her gun.

Edward did not fail them.

"'Bastard' is better than a bastard like you deserves! If we weren't standing in front of moms grave I would slug you" he said bringing up his right fist.

At the mention of Trisha Hohenheim had turned back to the grave marker "Trisha…why did you die" he asked rhetorically.

"Why do you think!? Because of the hardships you put her through!!" Edward yelled at him.

Roy and Riza wanted to join in but they could see that Edward was getting almost fifteen years worth of hate out of his system so they let him speak. Alphonse was still uncertain and didn't quite know what to say and Winry understood that this was not her place to say anything.

"Just a little while longer…a little while" Hohenheim said quietly.

"What!? A little while **longer**? So you were planning to put her through **more **hardship!!?" Edward yelled.

Hohenheim paid no attention to Edwards words. "We promised one another" he continued.

"Do you know how hard she struggled to raise us two kids on her own!!?" Edward asked.

"Trisha…why did you leave me behind" Hohenheim muttered. Was this man serious?

"**You're **the one that left us! **This conversation is going nowhere**!!" Edward screamed holding his head.

He turned back to Hohenheim "We don't care if you did come back-there's no place left for you here!! Why are you even here!!?" he asked.

"That's right…my house…why did you burn it down?" Hohenheim said turning towards a hill where they could see a burned tree on top of it. "There's…nothing left of it".

Alphonse and Edward looked at each other. Finally Alphonse said something but he didn't raise his eyes to meet his fathers "We made up our mind never to turn back".

"We don't need a place to go home to" Edward continued.

"It's a symbol of our resolve" they said together.

"**No its not**" Hohenheim cut in.

Edward and Alphonse fell silent at Hohenheim's words. Without looking at them Hohenheim continued "**You did it…because you didn't want to be reminded of your mistake**!"

Then he turned to face them, his hard gaze differing from Alphonse to Edward. They could feel themselves shrinking back to children being lectured by a parent who had caught them doing something bad.

Hohenheim took a step towards the boys who determinedly stayed standing where they were.

"You wanted to escape the painful memories" Hohenheim said moving closer to the boys.

Edward was looking up at him in a certain way close to fear and even though the armor couldn't show any expression it was shaking where it stood.

"You thought you could erase all traces of your actions, didn't you?" Hohenheim asked rhetorically.

"You're wrong!" Edward protested weakly.

"It's no different from a child who wets his bed and then hides the sheets" he continued.

He seemed to tower over the both of them and was looking down at them with accusing eyes and a shadow seemed to fall on Edward and Alphonse.

"You were **running away you two**" he stated.

"Enough!" the cry came from Roy's side. All heads turned to Riza who had just yelled where she stood fuming.

She walked to Edward and placed her hand on his shoulder and guided him away from Hohenheim.

Once he was standing next to Riza Roy put his arm around Edward's shoulders.

Edward seemed to gather strength and courage from the mountain of support that held him because he stood taller, not that it made a difference, and narrowed his eyes at Hohenheim and said through clenched teeth, but more so to hide the tremor in his voice "Talking to you makes me sick".

He then turned to look at Alphonse and then Winry. He broke free from Roy's and Riza's grip, who let him leave, and the others left, following him out of the cemetery.

"Didn't you come to visit your mothers grave" Hohenheim called after Edward and Alphonse.

"Not anymore" Edward answered.

A few moments passed before they sensed Hohenheim following them.

Edward whirled around and yelled "Don't follow us!"

"You're going to Pinako's house right? I'm going there too-seeing as I have no home of my own to return to" he countered swiftly.

And as if to add more fuel to the fire he looked at the back of Edwards head and said "You're growing your hair out? We have the same look" while motioning to his own hair.

Edward visibly fumed and it seemed that only because of Winry replacing her hand in his own that he didn't turn around and hit him. In retaliation he redid his hair from the lazy ponytail that it was in to the trademark braid. Then he turned to glare at Hohenheim before turning back ahead.

"He's exactly like me when I was his age" Roy heard Hohenheim whisper.

This man had no right to compare himself to Edward. Edward was not Hohenheim's son!

"You are not his father" Roy hissed at Hohenheim his anger growing.

Hohenheim turned to Roy "You wanted me to be his father. I am." Hohenheim whispered his gaze going back to his 'children'.

This was going to be interesting.

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It was a strange group in the Rockbell living room. Hohenheim, Mrs. Rockbell, Edward, and Winry were sitting at the table with something to drink in front of them. Roy stood in front of the table and Alphonse was sitting on the couch with his head bowed and hands folded on his lap and Riza also sat on the couch with a cup of tea in her hands.

The atmosphere was tense. Edward kept glaring at Hohenheim who in turn merely looked into his glass which he occasionally took a sip from. Mrs. Pinako Rockbell sat in the large chair that made her seem smaller; the only sound coming from her was her pipe banging against the ashtray. Winry sat there quietly with her eyes gazing at everyone in turn. Roy had taken off his military issued jacket, revealing the white shirt underneath and he had his arms crossed and was leaning against the wall and seemed to be following Edwards example, was glaring at Hohenheim. Riza had her hands folded on her lap like Alphonse and was staring at Roy loyally awaiting orders. And Alphonse glanced up from his lap every few minutes to look at Edward before returning his gaze to his lap.

After a few moments Hohenheim finally looked from his glass to Edward whose glare intense at meeting his 'fathers' gaze.

"Edward" he began.

"Don't you dare talk to him" Roy cut in.

"I can take care of myself Colonel. I don't need your help" Edward said standing up.

"Hey Ed, Al" Winry said all of a sudden, her voice quavering slightly. She grabbed Edwards arm and pulled him up. "Why don't you two come to my room? There's something I want to show you guys". It was clear that she either wanted to avoid a confrontation between the two older Elric's or believed that the 'children' should stay out of the way while the 'grown ups' talked.

Edward glared once more at the occupants of the room before allowing Winry to pull him and Alphonse up the stairs.

The moment they were out of sight Riza turned to Hohenheim. "Why are you here" she asked.

Hohenheim switched his gaze from the stairway to Riza. Roy felt the same protectiveness rise up in him that came when Hohenheim had looked at Edward.

"Cant a father see his children" he asked rhetorically.

"Alphonse" she asked.

"Alphonse" he confirmed. "And Edward of course" he added.

Was it normal for the room to suddenly be painted in red and have the urge to kill this

man?

"You lied to us Hohenheim" Riza said.

A frown fell upon Hohenheim's face. "What do you mean?"

"You promised to look after him and you didn't" Riza told him. "You left."

Hohenheim straightened up in his chair. "I assure you the reason I left is a valid one and you would understand. I believed you would as well. I know that leaving was not the best thing to do but I did. And I am here now and I wish to get to know my children once more."

"But they do not wish to know you" Roy said.

Hohenheim raised an eyebrow. "You do not know that. Alphonse is a bit nervous in meeting me once more and Edward a bit more than...happy to see me, in fact he is a bit hostile, but I am their father and I have the right to see them".

"You are not Edward's father!" Roy exploded.

"What?" they heard someone gasp.

Whirling around they saw Edward standing there with an amazed look on his face.

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"Edward we shouldn't do this" Winry whispered to him.

Edward was two steps away from the base of the stairs with Winry one step away from him and Alphonse, to make sure he didn't make any noise to give them away, was standing at the top of the stairs and was bending down to hear everything they did.

"We used to do this all the time" Edward whispered back.

"Yeah when we were kids" Winry said expatriated.

"And yet leaving the adults in the room to show is something in your room is not childlike at all" Edward said sarcastically.

Winry had no answer but also leaned over the banister trying to hear what the others were saying.

"You mean your son" they heard Roy say. What the hell were they talking about?

What Hohenheim said it was too low for them to hear but it made Roy yell "You are not Edwards father!"

Edward and Winry felt the breathe and the strength leave their body and they saw Alphonse slump slightly.

Winry didn't stop Edward from skipping the last few steps; instead she followed him and peered around the corner as he yelled "What!" to the surprised faces of Pinako, Hohenheim, Roy and Riza.

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"Edward you shouldn't eavesdrop on other peoples conversation" Pinako scolded.

Edward ignored her and looked at Roy who all of a sudden wouldn't meet his gaze.

"What did you just say" Edward asked him.

Roy didn't meet his eyes.

"Why did you say that" Edward asked.

"Because it is the truth Edward" Hohenheim answered.

Whirling around he faced Hohenheim with hate filled eyes. "Be quiet" he hissed. "Even thought I hate you so much right now I cannot deny this: I am the son of Hohenheim and Trisha Elric. Brother to Alphonse Elric" he motioned to Alphonse, who like Winry was peeking into the room from the stairway.

"No your not" Hohenheim said shaking his head.

Trembling Edward pulled out his last card. Pointing a shaking finger at Hohenheim he stammered "But I look just like you".

Hohenheim nodded "True you do look like your father".

Edward turned to Roy "You-you knew about this?" he asked.

Roy hesitated slightly before nodding.

"Do you know who my real parents are then?" he inquired.

Roy didn't look up form the ground as he nodded.

Edward crossed his arms. "Who are they then?"

No one moved for a few minutes. Each second passed as if it was an eternity.

Then before Edward lost his nerve Roy and Riza said "We are".

The color drained from Edwards face before returning slightly. "Ha, ha very funny" he said sarcastically. "Now then who they really are or better yet tell me this is a lie" he said.

Roy shook his head "It's not a lit Edward. Riza and I are your real parents."

His small smile quickly turned into a frown. "Ok this isn't funny anymore. Tell me the-" his words were cut off as Riza flung her arms around him and held him close to her.

"My son" Edward heard her whisper. She pressed him tighter to her. "My little boy."

Edward wrenched away from her grip and took a few steps back, his boots echoing on the wood floor.

His eyes flew from Roy to Riza before he turned around and ran through the front door and into the setting sun.

"Ed!" Winry cried out. She ran to the door.

"Brother!" Alphonse called out. He then turned to the others. "Why did you tell him that" he cried.

"Alphonse, it's the truth" Pinako sighed.

Alphonse's shoulders slumped. At hearing the words come from an adult that he had known his entire life he knew that they were telling the truth.

He groaned and fell to his knees with his face in his hands.

Winry turned to her grandmother "You knew. You knew and you never told me" she cried.

"I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. I wasn't allowed" Pinako said. Unlike the other however she didn't avert her gaze and kept looking Winry in the eye.

"Not allowed? I am your granddaughter, I am their best friend. Edward deserves to know!" she yelled. She turned to Roy and Riza "You have no right to keep this from him!"

"Do you think we wanted to?" Riza cried out. "Don't you think we wanted to tell him? We couldn't!"

"Wait, where is Hohenheim" Roy cut in.

Everyone looked around. Hohenheim was nowhere to be found.

"He must have followed Edward" Alphonse said.

"What does he want with my son" Roy growled.

At his words Winry threw him a scalding look and walked over to where Alphonse was sitting on the floor and joined him.

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"Why didn't you ever tell me" Edward asked the marble marker where Trisha Elric laid.

He brought his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. He laid his head on his knees and closed his eyes.

All these years. Years of going to her for comfort and protection. Years of seeking praise and love from his woman.

Years of calling her mother.

Why didn't she ever tell him? Why can't anyone ever tell him the truth!?

All of a sudden he heard footsteps behind him. Whirling around on one knee with his hands poised to clap to activate his alchemy when he saw that it was just Hohenheim standing there with his hands in his pockets watching him.

Edward turned around once more to the stone tablet. "What do you want?" he asked with a hard edge to his voice.

"I want to talk to you that's all" Hohenheim said.

"Well I don't want to talk to you" Edward shot back.

"You have every right to be angry right now" Hohenheim started.

"I said I don't want to talk to you" Edward yelled.

"You are going to have to talk about it eventually and you know that" Hohenheim said sternly.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!" he yelled covering his ears.

"You are behaving like a child Edward. Running away, refusing to listen. Act like your age for once and face the truth" Hohenheim continued.

"Shut up!" Edward yelled once more before clapping his hands and slamming them onto the ground before getting up and leaving the cemetery. He didn't even notice Hohenheim's eyes following him, but he didn't move a muscle, nor did he notice that the earth that he had made to enclose around Hohenheim had frozen a mere few inches from the ground.

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The sun had set a while ago and Edward still hadn't returned. Winry was sitting on the porch with her knees drawn to her chest with one arm around her knees and the other one on a lantern which she was flicking on and off.

Everyone was on the porch looking off into the darkness hoping to see Edward coming back.

A few more moments passed before Winry got up all of a sudden and went inside. She came back with her coat, Edward's red coat, and another lantern. She put on her coat, lightened the lantern, and walked off the porch.

She turned her head back to Alphonse. "Coming?" she asked.

The suit of armor immediately got off the ground and took the lantern from here and held it higher.

The two of them walked into the forest without a backwards glance.

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Winry and Alphonse knew where Edward was no doubt. But they also knew that he needed some time to himself to think about some recent events so they took their time to get there.

Soon enough they were walking up a familiar hill. In their minds they saw three kids running up or down the hill. More innocent times.

Sure enough as the light reached the edge of the tree they saw the familiar gold hair and black clothes of Edward.

"Hey" they heard him mumble.

"'Hey' yourself" Winry said to him before sitting next to him. She held out his coat to him "I thought you might get cold."

He glanced at it for a moment before taking it and putting it on. "Thanks" he mumbled once more not looking at them.

"Your welcome" Winry said before laying her head on his shoulder. Alphonse sat down in front of them and placed the lantern to the left of him. He looked at Edward.

"Brother" he began before being cut off by Edward who said "I don't want to talk about it Al."

Unlike Hohenheim they valued his wishes and the trio was in silence. A somewhat peaceful silence where everyone just enjoyed the companionship the others gave.

"Al, Win. There's something I need to tell you" Edward said hesitantly. He took one of Winry's hands and one of Alphonse's and held them in a tight grip. "You both are two of the most important people in my life. I need you guys by my side now more then ever" he said softly. "Please don't leave me" he whispered holding onto their hands tighter, his gaze downwards.

Winry placed her arm around his shoulders and squeezed them warmly while Alphonse placed his hand over Edward's.

"We would never leave your side brother" Alphonse said gently.

"We're always to be next to you supporting you through every stupid thing your going to do Ed" Winry said.

"Thanks you two" Edward said leaning back against the tree. Winry cuddled up to him and they settled down and soon fell asleep.

Alphonse was on the horns of dilemma. He knew the ground wasn't that comfortable to sleep on but he knew that Edward didn't want to go back to the house and face the others...but their stuff was still there.

After waiting a couple hours Alphonse got up and after checking Edward and Winry he picked up the lantern and lighting it he started to walk towards the Rockbell house.

The walk was short and soon he was walking up the now empty front porch.

He entered the house and glanced around the room, seeing it empty he placed the lantern gently on the floor and picking up Edward's suitcase that was right next to the door.

He picked up the suitcase and started to walk towards the door. He stretched his hands towards the doorknob but as his fingers brushed against the metal he froze as a voice behind him said "Going somewhere Alphonse?"

He slowly turned his head around and came face-to-face with the father he hadn't seen in fourteen years.

Hohenheim was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed looking at him.

Hesitantly he turned to face his father. They were about the same height, which was saying something since the armor was over seven feet tall, but Hohenheim was standing confident and tall while Alphonse was shaking and felt about two inches tall.

"You know you are merely helping Edward run away right?" he asked Alphonse.

Alphonse ducked his head and stared at the suitcase in his hands. "Brother doesn't want to see them for now and I respect that. It's choice" Alphonse said quietly.

Hohenheim's eyes grew soft "Edward isn't your real brother Alphonse" he said gently.

Alphonse shook his head "We aren't brothers in blood but in every other sense we are. Edward risked his life to save me once. And I would risk mine to save him no matter what. If that's not brotherly love I don't know what is" Alphonse said his voice getting stronger with each word. "We grew up together and went through so much together. Do not say that we aren't brothers!" With that said Alphonse turned around, opened the door and left. He leaned heavily against the door and lifted his right hand. It was shaking.

Breathing heavily, metaphorically, Alphonse forced himself to walk to where Edward and Winry were still sleeping.

He walked over to his and Edward's old house and when his eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness, the sun was starting to rise, and when he saw the outline of Edward and Winry he would have smirked if he could.

Winry was cuddled up to Edward, her head on his chest, and Edward had his arm around her to hold her close.

Where was Hughes with a camera when you need him?

Hughes. That name wiped the smirk off his face in his mind and froze him. Was he in on it? Were Colonel Mustangs men in too? Who else knew this? And why didn't they ever tell Edward? And if mom knew why didn't she ever say anything? Or Pinako who also knew the truth.

The Furher's old words came back to him. 'Do not trust anyone if you do not know if they are friend or foe'. Who could they still trust?

Alphonse thought back to when the trio were children. Did mom ever show him, her real son by blood, more love than she did to Edward? Favoritism? Something small that they didn't even notice?

No. Trisha Elric was a kind person. She had never loved one more than the other and of she did she never showed it.

'I am so proud of you both my little alchemists!' She often said that. Sometimes the only reason they did alchemy was to hear that.

Alphonse sighed. He missed those easier times. But they left those times the moment they decided on the human transmutation, maybe even earlier when they used alchemy for the first time.

He looked into the sunrise. What were they going to do now? They couldn't avoid them forever, especially with Colonel Mustang being Edward's superior officer. So what were they going to do?

The sun's beams slowly hit Edward and Winry illuminating their faces and making their hair shine.

They stirred and slowly opened their eyes, blinking the sleep from them.

"Good morning" Alphonse said brightly.

They looked at Alphonse and mumbled a "Good morning" to him. They got off the ground, brushed themselves off, and stretched their stiff limbs from laying on the ground for so long.

Edward stood straight and looked into the rising sun. "What now" he said almost to himself.

"Where are you guys going to go?" Winry asked looking at them.

Edward leaned against the tree, crossed his arms, and bowed his head.

Finally he looked up and said "I've had enough of the military for now. I'm not resigning but taking a break." He looked up at Alphonse. "We are going to teachers house Al. I'm sure the military won't bother us there" he finished with a smirk.

Alphonse nodded, although he couldn't help but notice something. Edward's and the Colonel's smirk was the same.

"So you guys are going to your teachers place? That's in Dublith right?" she said trying to remember.

"Yeah it is" Edward said nodding his head. "Will you be all right getting back to Rush Valley yourself or do you want us to come with you? I mean it is on the way."

Winry shook her head "No, I want to see Granny for a bit more and Garfiel isn't expecting me for another week. Besides. Someone has to make something for you two so that they won't know where you guys are going" she replied smirking as well.

"All right then" Alphonse said.

Winry hugged Alphonse, her arms not even getting about half way of his armor, and then hugged Edward tightly.

"Please call me when you get there okay?" she asked Edward holding his hands in hers.

"All right, all right" Edward replied holding her hands tighter in his grip.

In Alphonse's opinion for people who were 'just friends' they held on for too long and looked at each in the eyes for too long.

Alphonse coughed into his fist and the two of them jumped slightly and blushed.

Clearing their throats they let go if the others hands.

"Take care you guys" she said softly before leaving in the direction of her house.

Edward watched her leave before picking up his suitcase and following Alphonse in the direction of the train station.

**The next chapter will be an explanation on why Edward did what he did so you guys will understand. I'll post it up either a few hours after this one or tomorrow it depends when I post this one up.**

**Please remember to review, oh and speaking of reviews. We're getting closer to one hundred! My first hundred! I love you guys.**

**Until next time this is Phoenix-Fire Power over and out.**


	10. Chapter 10

-1**A/N: ****hey people!**

**Here is the next chapter! And up so soon too.**

**I would like to thank everyone for the reviews. We got passed one hundred you guys! I love you all!**

**The explanation to Edward's reaction from the last chapter on the bottom of this chapter just so you know.**

**Oh! And this is my first time writing Izumi too. I think I got her character pretty good.**

**As always please leave a review on your thoughts. I love to hear from you guys.**

**Disclaimer: ****I own nothing.**

The train ride was a quiet one. They were able to purchase their tickets quickly and without hassle and get on the earliest train before it was even eight o clock.

For the past thirty minutes, ever since they had gotten on board, they were in silence. The only noise in their compartment was Edward's breathing.

Alphonse looked at Edward. Almost as if sensing his gaze Edward averted his eyes from the window to Alphonse's.

"Um. Edward?" Alphonse asked.

Edward obtained a shocked look. Alphonse had never called him 'Edward'. It was always 'brother' or Ed. He didn't call him Edward ever since they were young kids.

"Al, is everything okay?" Edward asked.

"Everything!" Al all of a sudden cried.

He stood up from his seat and began pacing, although there wasn't that much room in the compartment to begin with, with the huge size from the armor there was even less, and wired his hands together in front of him. "All of this! Finding out all this. And you!" he said pointing at Edward who just sat there calmly waiting for him to finish. "The fact that you're not my brother and that you're probably…" he trailed off with his shoulders slumping.

"That I probably what Al" Edward said quietly.

When he spoke his voice shook and if he was able to tears would've been running down his face. "That you probably regret performing the transmutation."

"What do you mean Al" Edward asked, placing his hand on Al's shoulder. "I have always regretted the transmutation but not for the reason you think. I regret it because I put you in mortal danger. You nearly died."

"But mom wasn't your mom. And I'm…Ed. I'm not your real brother." Alphonse said.

"Don't say that Alphonse" Edward said sharply. "You are my brother. Maybe not in blood but in every other sense."

He looked up at Alphonse straight in the eyes and said with own voice quivering and his eyes slightly wet and said "You are my brother Alphonse."

"And-and the t-t-transmutation with my soul? You don't regret it?" Alphonse asked.

"Of course I don't!" Edward exclaimed. "If I had the choice to redo it I would still bind your soul to the armor!"

"What about mom?" Alphonse asked quietly.

Edward also fell silent. He looked down at his hands and said "If I knew then what I know now, would I still have said to done it?…I don't know." he said not looking at Alphonse.

They spent the remainder of the train ride in silence as each tended through their own thoughts.

Finally after a long trip, and a silence that neither had the heart to break, the train arrived in Dublith.

They got on the platform and obtained their luggage when Alphonse finally broke the silence.

"Are you going to tell teacher about…the…you know?" he asked.

Edward bit his bottom lip in thought. "I don't know. I'll play it by ear I guess."

By the ear…they were going to get killed by their teacher weren't they?

Finally after a short walk from the station they were in front of the Curtis' Meat Store.

They took a deep breathe and knocked on the door. When it opened it revealed to be Mason, a friend of Izumis and Sigs and who helps them at the store.

"Edward? Alphonse? What are you two doing here?" he asked smiling at them.

"Hey Mason. Is Teacher here? We need to talk to her." Edward asked.

"Yeah I'll go get her." Mason said slowly looking at the solemn look on Edwards face and how still and quiet Alphonse was. He turned away but looked over his shoulder and asked "Is everything okay you two?"

A few moments passed before they heard someone walking to them. Then from turning around a corner appeared their alchemy teacher Izumi Curtis. A talented alchemist and a great fighter that didn't quiet fit her stature. And she always commanded respect and was not afraid to use force.

She looked over her two apprentices and her eyes narrowed. "What's wrong?" she asked getting straight to the point.

Edward looked down. "Teacher there is something we…I need to tell you." he said looking up at her.

She turned towards her house and motioned with her hand "Come on. I'll make some tea."

Once they were in her house with a cup of tea in front of them she linked her fingers together in front of her and said "Tell me everything."

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Winry walked down the hill humming a slight tune in her head.

'_What were Ed and Al going to do when they get to their teacher? Why were they going to their teacher in the first place?' _she thought to herself. _'I mean I know Mrs. Curtis will keep the military at bay but for how long?' _she sighed heavily.

_'Why did they keep all this a secret from Ed in the first place?'_

She saw her house and heard some people arguing in there. She took a deep breathe and opened the door.

From what she saw Roy and Riza were arguing with Hohenheim. Maybe she would be able to sneak in undetected; she tiptoed into the room and made for the stairs.

"Excuse me young lady!" her grandmothers voice made her stop short with one foot on the stairs.

She turned around and met her grandmothers stern gaze. "Where were you all night?" she asked.

"I was with Al and Ed grandma." Winry answered.

"Where is Edward? Where is my son?" Roy asked her walking up to her.

Winry drew herself up. She would not let her be intimidated by _him. _"Where Edward and Alphonse are is none of your business." she said.

"None of our business? That's our son! Where is he?" Riza asked.

Winry flipped a strand of her hair over her shoulder as she said "If they wanted you to know, then they would've let you know." before going up the stairs and into her room.

"Winry come back here we aren't finished here." Pinako called up to her granddaughter.

With a loud groan Winry walked down the stairs, got in front of her grandmother and crossed her arms. "What?" she asked.

"Don't 'what' me like that for starters. And the second thing. Do you know where Edward and Alphonse went?" Pinako asked.

"Yes I do" Winry answered.

"Where" both Roy and Riza said together.

Winry looked at them before she could say anything the phone rang.

Hohenheim, who has been standing there quietly letting everyone talk, was the closest to the phone and answered it. "Rockbell residence" he said into the receiver.

He blinked a few times before saying "Hello Alphonse."

There was a scramble for the phone, which Winry won by the way, she literally ripped the phone out of Hohenheim's hands, startling him, and said into the phone "Al?"

She turned away from everyone else and was talking quietly into the phone.

"Is everything okay Al? you got there all right?" Winry asked.

"Yeah everything is fine Win, wait a minute." Al said. He seemed to be talking to someone else and he had his hand over the mouthpiece of the phone.

"Winry?" someone else asked into the phone. It was Edward.

"Ed? How are you?" she asked.

"Truthfully? I don't know." he answered.

"Let us speak to him" Roy told her. She threw him a withered look and continued to listen to whatever Edward was saying on the other end. Losing his patience he grabbed the phone from her hand ignoring her cry of "Hey!"

"Edward" he said into the receiver but before he could say anything else he was met with the dial tone. Edward had hanged up on them.

"That little brat hanged up on me." Roy said.

"Roy." Riza scolded before sitting back on the couch wiring her hands together with worry.

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Edward placed the phone back in its cradle breathing heavily. He wasn't ready. He can't face them yet.

With a groan he put his head in his hands, what were they going to do?

"Edward. Come here." he heard his teacher call.

As soon as they had finished telling her everything, and he meant **everything**, he had asked to use her phone to call Winry and let her know. Now what would she say?

Edward sat down in his chair once more with Alphonse next to him. Izumi stared at them from across the table with unreadable eyes.

"When I think back on you boys when you two were my new apprentices I would never have guessed that you two weren't related." she said staring at the tabletop.

She looked at them straight in the eyes. "You both were so much alike, in both interests and looks. A pair of brothers."

She smirked to herself all of a sudden and crossed her arms across her chest. "I can't believe I taught a dogs of the military's son."

Even though the subject was a tense one it couldn't help but put a small smile on Ed's face.

"You cannot run forever from them Edward. You will have to face them." Izumi said.

"I'm not running away." Edward mumbled.

Izumi chose not to say anything on that and focused instead on: "And when are you going to face them?"

Edward slumped in his seat. He whispered "I don't know."

Izumi stared at them for a few more moments before getting up from her seat. "I'm going to get started on dinner while you two talk about this."

Once she left Alphonse turned to Edward. He kept staring at the cup of tea in his hands. "Brother?" Al asked gently.

Edward looked up. His eyes were drawn inward; Al knew that it meant that Edward was thinking deeply.

"If teacher will have us then we'll stay here for tonight. After that we'll return to Central. I'm not putting off this mission with something like this." Edward told him.

"Are you sure we should be going to Central for this? Wasn't the Colonel and his subordinates transferred there?" Alphonse asked, worry evident in his voice.

Edward bit his lip once more then shook his head. "We'll try to avoid them for now." he said.

Their teacher came back into the room and said "Help me set everything out you two. If your going to stay here then you should help out." before returning to the kitchen.

Dinner was in an odd atmosphere that night. Not tense but not entirely comfortable. Edward and Alphonse had asked Izumi not to tell anyone about the truth of Ed's parentage, and that included Sig and Mason. Those two men hated to be out of the loop but they also respected the relationship between the teacher and her students so they didn't pry.

Over the dinner they discussed on how things were in Dublith, whether or not Ed and Al had gotten better in alchemy and fighting; with their teacher saying that she'll test them after dinner, if they were any closer to restoring their bodies, etc, etc.

Finally after eating and the post dinner training, Ed and Al went to the room Izumi and Sig had given them and went to sleep.

Or at least tried to go to sleep.

"Hey Al." Edward asked sitting up in his bed. He looked over at Alphonse who was sitting next to the window and looking at the stars.

"Yeah?" Al asked.

Edward bit his lip. "Am…am I…am I anything like the Colonel? Or the Lieutenant?" he finally asked.

Alphonse looked long and hard at Edward and for a while he was quiet that Ed didn't think that he will answer the question.

"Your hair," he finally said, "It seems like the Lieutenants color if not a bit darker, maybe that's the Colonels hair color at work. Your facial features. They seem like the Colonels." he said staring at Edward.

"Both you and the Colonel are stubborn and loyal. You guys even have the same smirk" he added that last part. Edward frowned and touched his mouth with the tip of his fingers. "When we were younger you liked order like the Lieutenant" Alphonse said quietly.

"And there's the alchemy part with the Colonel" Al said quietly.

They were both State Alchemists.

"Isn't anything mine?" Edward asked with a groan as he fell face first into the pillow.

"Well there's your temper" Al pointed out. "But I did hear that when the Lieutenant adopted Black Hayate she shot at him about seven times because he peed on the wall." he said looking at the floor.

"I'm kinda sorry I asked" Edward grumbled, punching the pillow with his left hand and laid down on it.

"Sleep brother, you need it." Alphonse said gently.

With a nod he closed his eyes and soon he fell into an uneasy sleep.

**Ok first of all put yourselves in Edward's shoes.**

**You spend your whole childhood seeking praise from a woman you think is your mother, doing whatever you can to hear the words 'I am proud of you'. Your father has also left you when you were about two years old and you can barely remember him. Now the brother. **

**I know that family isn't by blood only; I myself have some friends that are closer to me then my blood family, so I understand that you don't need to be related. But you spend fourteen years being the older brother. The protector and the role model. **

**Now with Edward and the human transmutation. What he gave so much to bring back wasn't even his own mother, yes she treated him like her own son, but there is still a big line from mother figure to actual from the womb mother.**

**And the transmutation with Al's soul. No he does not regret it; I will actually write that conversation that they have on the way to Dublith regarding that.**

**Now once more in Edward's shoes. Forced to grow up without a role model to base himself on. Roy tries to become that role model and Edward, rather apprehensively, takes it after a while. And Riza tries to become the mother that she is for Edward.**

**Edward has accepted all that, even has accepted that they are now like his parents. Not that he would ever admit to it but still, you can't have everything. He even wishes it was true deep deep down. But only deep down, only one deep here instead of the two in the previous sentence, he still recognizes that Hohenheim was his father and that Trisha was his mother.**

**Now you might think 'Yay dream come true. A mother and a father!' but honestly is that how Edward would think? He is freaked out; everything he ever knew about his family had all of a sudden become a lie. And right now he is thinking 'I have more then enough to deal with for now. I'll deal with this after everything else.'**

**He would rather live in the illusion for a little while longer then face the truth for now. Because last time he faced the truth he found out that the Philosopher Stone was made from human lives. Anyone else thinking Bluebirds Illusion here? If you don't know what that is then just say so and I'll tell you. It's a fanmade FMA game. Really cool.**

**Anyway back on topic. Yes someone is going to sit down with Edward and tell him everything before he talks to Roy and Riza once more. I already know who it is and I have the ending of that chapter written out. I just need to think of a beginning for it as well.**

**Until next time this is Phoenix-Fire Power over and out.**


	11. Chapter 11

-1**A/N: ****hey people!**

**I know it has been a while but I finally got my muse back on track with this story. Oh and concerning a maybe future story is on the bottom, please check that out.**

**Other than that I have nothing much to say except that thank you everyone for all the reviews!**

**And if anyone wants to draw a scene from the story then be my guest! Just let me know and of course give me the credit...does that make me sound a bit conceited?**

**And I have a poll for the future chapters which I want to know your choice in:**

**Who do you want most to die? Edward or Alphonse?**

**Yeah weird question but needed for the future chapters, I will not say when or where or anything. Just answer the question in a review. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**2 weeks later**

Edward groaned lightly as he walked down the street with his hands in his pockets. A passing policeman eyed him suspiciously for a moment but Edward was too deep in thought to notice. **(Teenage boy + leather clothes + being outside at around 2 in the morning = just maybe some bad news incase some of you wondered about that)**

These past couple of weeks have been murder, absolute murder. He thought it was going to be easy; ignore Roy and Riza. Avoid them like they were the plague.

Yeah! Easier said then done. One of…**his **crew always seemed to find a reason to bring him to the office. A late report, needed something to be fixed with alchemy, practically any excuse they could think of. Which made him wonder. Do they know the truth? And if they did why did they also keep it a secret from him?

And whatever those ridiculous tasks were he did them as fast as he could. He had rewritten report after report. Fixed one machine after another. And it seemed that a majority of those reports and machines had something to do with the Colonel and the First Lieutenant.

There was either a huge coincidence or there was a true g-d that hated him and just wanted to get some laughs out of him.

They tried to get him to stay a bit longer and they tried to talk to him but the moment he had finished with whatever they had asked him to do he basically flew out of the room and back to the library or back to Alphonse.

Roy had then tried to turn his rank over Edward and tried to order him to listen to him. The good part was that Edward never really cared about ranks and had no trouble ignoring his order and leaving.

They had also tried to corner him in the library. He was just sitting at a table, that the librarian had nicknamed the 'Elric study table' and had some books and texts on top of it. He had already read them but he was rereading them incase he had missed something.

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"_Edward."_

_He knew that voice. He knew that goddamn voice anywhere. _

_Sure enough as he looked up from his documents he saw the Colonel staring at him along with the Lieutenant standing behind him._

"_What?" he had asked aggravated._

"_We need to talk" Riza had said._

"_There is nothing to talk about." Edward said curtly._

"_Yes there is." Roy said sitting down in the other chair. Riza had pulled up a chair from a different table and also sat down next to the Colonel._

"_Nothing I can think of." Edward said, getting up, picking up his bag, and starting to leave. He walked towards the door of the library when someone had grabbed his arm._

_Turning his head he saw that Roy had grabbed his right arm in a tight grip._

"_Please Edward. Just listen to what we have to say." Riza said._

"_There is nothing to hear." Edward had said looking at them and narrowing his eyes. "Now. Let. Me. Go." he growled at Roy._

"_No. You are going to sit back down here and listen to us Edward." Roy said._

"_I don't have to listen to a single thing you say." Edward told him._

"_I am not just your father but I am also your commanding officer and a higher rank then you. You **will **listen to me." he said venomously._

_Edward wrenched his arm out of Roys grip. His eyes grew darker then the usual gold that they were and seemed to have specks of black in them._

_Roy then sighed and said "Please Edward. Just hear us out."_

_But before he could say anything they heard the familiar footsteps of the suit of armor and a familiar voice ask "Brother, are you here?"_

_Before they could say or do anything Edward had left in the direction of the voice and left the room._

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He was not running…was he? Was he in truth actually doing the exact thing that Alphonse had said only ten minutes ago? Was he running away from the truth?

Yes that was the reason that he was outside in the middle of the night thinking. He and his brother had, had a fight. A big one. One where Alphonse had finally broken down and said that Edward was running away from the problem.

Edward had countered saying that he would pay attention to that one as soon as they finished their mission.

Alphonse had told him to go to the Colonel and talk to him and the Lieutenant. Get some answers out of them because Al could see that Edward was putting as much focus as he usually did in his work.

And Al was right. He did have questions. A lot of them. And the only people who had the answers were the ones that he didn't want to see.

'_If they cared so much then why did they give him away?' _that was the main question in his mind.

Without even having a destination in mind he just let his legs walk wherever they wanted. He paid no notice to the stores or houses that he passed.

He did stop however when he noticed that he was outside of Mrs. Hughes house.

He just stood outside the house for a few minutes debating.

Then with slight hesitation he walked up to the door and pressed the doorbell.

Before he could process the thought of running away a light appeared in the house and a tired and confused looking Gracia opened the door.

"Edward?" she asked, sleepily. "Edward do you know what time it is?"

Feeling slightly ashamed he bowed his head in apology. "I'm sorry Mrs. Hughes but…I didn't really know where else to go." he mumbled.

He saw Gracia's features soften and take on a motherly tone. "Come on in Edward. We'll talk." she said, opening the door wider for him to enter.

"Go to the kitchen and make yourself comfortable. I have to check on Elysia." she said squeezing his shoulder warmly before going to the direction of her daughter's room.

Edward walked into the kitchen and sat down in one of the chairs and put his head in his hands. What was he doing here again?

He looked up as he saw Gracia walk back into the kitchen. She looked wide awake but still yawned when she asked him "What's wrong Ed?"

He couldn't tell her the whole truth right? But he could do part of the truth. He still felt something towards Roy, besides the anger and hatred; he was still loyal to the man. He had kept the secret of Al from the higher ups and was always trying to get them new leads in order to help restore Als body. He couldn't tell anyone else the truth just yet. "Al and I…we…we had a fight." that was not that good of a reason to rob a person of sleep in two in the morning. He mentally kicked his head.

Gracia cocked her head to the side. "And that's it?" she asked.

That's it. This poor woman didn't need to hear some ramblings and half truths from a teenager. He stood up and said without looking at her "I'm sorry to disturb you Mrs. Hughes. I'll let you get back to sleep."

When he touched the doorknob he heard Gracia say "Edward you are not disturbing me and I want to help. I'm just surprised that the only reason you are here is because you and your brother had a fight. I thought it might also be the fact that Roy and Riza are your real parents."

Edward froze and slowly turned around to face her smiling at him from the table.

"How-how-how do you know?" Edward stumbled out.

Gracia got up and took his hands in hers and said gently. "Edward. I am your godmother. Maes was your godfather."

Edward felt his legs start to give and if it wasn't for Gracia having a good hold on him and guiding him to the table. Then from the pot of hot water he poured him a cup with a teabag and sugar and pushed it into his hands.

He looked at Gracia in disbelief. "You're my godmother?" he asked incredulously. How many more surprises will the world throw at him? He was too young to have a heart attack.

"Your parents are mine and were Maes' best friends. Of course we would be their childs godparents and vice versa." she explained to him.

Edward slumped in his seat. "I can't take this anymore." he moaned. "If there is going to be anymore surprises like this I just might go insane."

Gracia chuckled slightly and patted the top of his head.

"Why do you know?" he asked her.

"I know because I was there for almost everything. And whatever I wasn't there for Maes was and I had him tell me everything. If there is one thing I do not like it is being out of the loop of things I am involved in." she said.

"You were involved in?" Edward echoed. Why was he only able to repeat the words that she said?

She nodded. "Roy and Riza needed a place to hide and secretly have the baby. You." she said looking at him.

"In secret?" he asked.

"You don't know?" Gracia asked startled slightly. "There is a law in the military that personal cannot have relations with anyone from the military. In other words they can't date, marry, and most certainly cannot have children together." she told him.

"So…I'm…a mistake or something." Edward said some sadness in his voice. "I'm not just a bastard I'm a mistake."

"Edward you are not a bastard and you are most certainly not a mistake." Gracia said gently.

"Yeah I'm a bastard. My parents weren't married when I was born right?" he asked, trying to get a smile on his face and failing.

Gracia smiled slightly and asked "Do you want to talk about it Edward?"

Edward slowly shook his head. "I don't know." he whispered. Then he looked up at Gracia who was looking at him concern visible in her eyes and asked her "Do you think I am running away from the problem?"

Gracia bit her bottom lip before saying "In a sense, you are. But I understand the reasons for it unlike others. Everything you have ever known-"

"Is all of a sudden turned upside-down and spun around a few times." Edward finished.

Edward sucked in a deep breath, looked out the kitchen window, and said "There are way too many questions and not nearly enough answers. I hate this."

"I could tell you."

What she said shocked him and he stared at her blankly for a few moments.

"What?"

"I said I could tell you Edward. Some of the answers that you might be looking for." she said, watching him.

"How could you-" he began only to be interrupted by Gracia who said "Didn't I just say that I was there for almost everything? That whatever I wasn't there for I had Maes tell me? I know what happened since the moment Riza told Roy she was pregnant."

She cocked her head to the side and said "I could tell you the truth since the beginning."

"Everything?" he asked.

"Everything" she confirmed.

Edward leaned back in his chair and stared at Gracia before nodding his head. "Begin, please."

Gracia nodded before taking a sip of her own tea and when she looked up her eyes had a faraway look in them.

"Well from where Maes told me he was teasing Roy…"

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"_Come on Roy, I know that there is something going on between you and your…friend Riza. So just be a good sport and tell me what it is." Hughes said nudging Roys arm and grinning when Roy blushed._

"_And I told you Maes. Nothing is. Besides being my friend and a member of the military as well and the fact that she was my teachers daughter it would be…inappropriate" he finished lamely._

_Hughes grinning widened "But that didn't stop you from saying that you love her" he teased._

"_Maes I was drunk when I said that. You can't hold it against me" Roy told him._

"_But when you get drunk you start telling all sorts of truths" Hughes countered._

_Roy resolved to glaring at him before turning back to the book he was trying to read in his hands._

_Hughes placed his elbow on the table and placed his head in the palm of his hand and looked at his friend._

_Roys eyes held tightness to them and he didn't have the usual focus at the task in hand. His structure was too tight and tense. And every time someone walked by the table where they sat he saw Roys eyes jump up to each person and go back to the book in mild disappointment._

_Maes grinned. All those ailments meant one thing in his book. Roy was indeed in love with someone. And he had a good idea who that someone was._

_Speaking of which, he saw the person in question starting to walk towards them wringing her hands and she had a worried expression on her face._

_Maes nudged Roys arm and said "Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear" and pointed towards Riza._

_Maes saw Roys eyes light up in excitement before darkening to worry. He grinned. Roy was utmost definitely in love._

"_Riza what's wrong" Roy asked holding her arms._

"_Roy" Riza sighed before looking up at him. "I'm pregnant."_

**That seems like a good place to leave it. A nice and good cliffhanger no?**

**And for the future chapters that tell the story of the past I am not going to do in italics because they are too much of a hassle.**

**Now on the other story idea that I have.**

**It is obviously an AU and kinda complicated to follow.**

**Basically the Elrics, the brothers, are replaced with a different family. Trisha is the mother and Hohenheim is the father but the children and last name is different. Instead of Edward and Alphonse I have Isis, Marik, and Elizabeth. Age wise is that order.**

**Isis is the oldest, obviously, she cannot perform alchemy what so ever. Not even the simplest transmutation. She is basically the caring mother and the semi-wild sister all in one. She has studied all her life to become a doctor and has a license and a degree but more on that later. She is also Havoc love interest, they are dating. She is basically a carbon copy of her mother.**

**Marik is the middle child and the one with his soul stuck in the armor he is quite talented at alchemy but his calling always seemed to become a lawyer. His looks are mainly from a distant relative on his mothers side. He has spiky white hair, not old hair like gray but just white hair and brown eyes.**

**Elizabeth is the Fullmetal Alchemist. She was always talented at alchemy even from a young age. She is the one that looks like Hohenheim with the gold eyes and hair. She also has never met Hohenheim since he had left before her birth.**

**Now the Rockbells.**

**It is all the same except for one thing. I added a sibling.**

**He is Winrys twin brother. Blonde haired and blue eyed. His name is Alphonse, not creative I know but still, he is kind, caring, patient, and protective. Unlike his sister when he does fight he doesn't use wrenches but…well I am not quite sure what to call them but I will find out. He and Elizabeth are kinda 'together'. Alphonse has known that he was in love with her for years and Elizabeth is somewhere there. She is sometimes closer to him then she is to her own siblings, she tells him everything.**

**What do you guys think? Think I can make it into a story or something? And are they actually…Mary-Sues. Oh please no.**

**Other then that I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter and expect the next one to be up before long.**

**This is Phoenix-Fire Power over and out.**


	12. Chapter 12

-1**A/N: ****hey people!**

**Up so soon? I am shocked.**

**Thank you, you guys for the reviews. I love you all!**

**Like I said last chapter if you want to draw a picture from a scene in this story just let me know and of course tell people where the scene is from. **

**And to the response to the question. A majority, ok everyone, voted for Al to die. Kinda harsh if you think about it. But hey that's your choice really. And I am still not saying why. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!  
**

**Disclaimer: ****I own nothing.**

The next few moments passed in a stunned silence. Then two things happened at that same time. The color drained from Roys face and Hughes let out a jubilant yell.

"You're what" Roy stammered.

"Pregnant Roy" Riza said.

Roy looked at Riza in silence and a stunned look. "Hughes will you stop that!" he yelled, at Hughes who was jumping around and exclaiming shouts of excitement in the background. **(I could so picture that scene in my head right now.)**

"But why? I'm happy for you two! You guys are going to be parents!" he exclaimed holding his hands out to Roy and Riza. His grin slowly faded as he looked into the grim faces of Roy Riza. "Aren't you?" he asked softly.

Roy and Riza shared a look. Then biting her lip and closing her eyes she slowly shook her head.

A silent gasp passed through Roys mouth and Hughes' eyes widened behind his glasses.

Hughes let his arms fall to the side "Your getting an abortion?" he asked.

Riza nodded not looking at any of them "I can't have a child right now. Especially with the possibility of a war breaking out. We'll get called in and what will happen then?"

She looked at Roy "I'm sorry" she said before turning around.

"Riza wait!" yelled Roy. "You can't do this! This is my child too!"

"I knew it!" Hughes exclaimed pointing at Roy.

Ignoring Hughes he walked over to Riza "You can't do something like this. I'll help through everything. I'll take full responsibility for it! Just please don't do this." he begged her.

Riza still didn't look at Roy when she said "Roy I never doubted for a second that you wouldn't help me, even if it wasn't your. But this isn't about that. It's about the fratnization law. We would both be court-martialed and maybe imprisoned."

"Riza, please. Don't do this." Roy said softly.

"I'm sorry Roy." Riza said shaking her head. And before Roy or Hughes could do or say anything else Riza turned away and ran.

"Roy as much as I hate to say this but she's right. The two of you can't really have kids right now. Besides the both of you being a part of the military you are both teenagers." Hughes said placing a hand on Roys shoulder.

"I just can't believe that Riza would do something like this." Roy said shock evident in his voice and his eyes on the ground.

"Come on. Let's go somewhere else" Hughes said tugging Roys arm forcing him to move.

Roy followed Hughes robotically. His eyes still glued to the ground and were glazed over, seeing pictures of a child that could never be.

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Riza walked into the clinic and looked around. There were a few other women there and a nurse sitting at the desk.

"Ms. Rubenstein?" the nurse said looking up from a file.

A woman that looked like she was in her mid-thirties got up with her stomach sticking out slightly.

The nurse pointed towards the door. "The doctor will see you now."

The woman placed her hands on her stomach and began to tremble slightly. When she passed Riza she heard the woman say "Please forgive me for this baby." she was also getting an abortion.

"Can I help you miss?" the nurse said looking at Riza.

Gathering her courage she walked over to the front desk and whispered "I need to have a…" her throat closed up on the last word.

"Abortion?" the nurse finished for her with a comforting smile.

Biting her lip Riza nodded.

The nurse handed her some forms on a clipboard and a pen. "You need to fill these out and then I'll call you when it's your turn."

Nodding her thanks Riza took a seat and began to fill it out when the same door that the previous woman had gone through a different woman left it.

It was clear that she had been crying, she still was, she was pale and was shaking so much that if Riza didn't know any better then she would say that the woman was having a seizure.

All of a sudden the woman fell to her knees, threw back her head, and screamed bloody murder. She clutched her head and heaved great sobs.

Riza watched in amazement and her own heart going out to the woman.

A different nurse came up to her and lifted her by her arms and deposited her in a seat that was two chairs away from Riza.

Riza tried to start on the forms again but her hand was shaking too much. She placed her hands on her lap and will herself to calm down.

Where was her cool mask where she hid and kept her emotions in check? Something that she was trained to not let even the biggest surprise faze her?

Gone. It had flown out the window the moment she had saw the positive sign on the pregnancy test.

All of a sudden a pair of hands grabbed one of hers and held it. Her instincts kicked in and she reached for the gun she kept hidden when she was in public. Looking up she saw that it was the woman that had gone into hysteria. Her bloodshot eyes drilled into rizas.

"Were you raped?" rasped the woman.

Numbly all Riza could do as shake her head no.

Gripping her hand tighter the woman said through a hoarse voice "Then don't do it. I feel so empty inside. I feel like a murderer. I killed my child." she gave a great sob. "Don't do what I did. If you can support the child, or if you cant give it to someone who can, then please have it." she gave a great sob as she choked out "Maybe one day g-d can forgive me but I will never forgive myself" before letting go of Rizas hands and shifting back to her seat.

Riza after a moment turned her attention back to the forms.

_A womans cry._

Her name was the first thing she had to fill out. She placed the pen on the line.

'_Don't do it.'_

**Name: **

'_I killed my child'_

Riza

'_I feel so empty'_

Hawkeye

'_I will never forgive myself.'_

**Last menstrual cycle: **

'_Give the child to someone who can.'_

May 3rd, 1888

'_You can't do this! This is my child too!'_

**Reason for visit:**

'_Riza please don't do this.'_

Abort-

_The sound of a babys laugh turning into a scream that blended with her own._

She dropped the pen and the clipboard.

She feels the stares of everyone in the room on her. She doesn't care. She has to get as far away from this place of death as quickly as possible.

For her baby.

Her military training kicks in and she rips the first page of the forms from the clipboard that contained her name and handwriting.

She runs out of the building. She has to find Roy. She has to tell him. From the corner of her eye she sees the woman who convinced her smile.

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Roy tried to focus on the text in front oh him once more. The words kept blurring together. He felt a drop of water fall down his cheek.

He irritably wiped his eyes. He couldn't, wouldn't, cry. This was Rizas decision. It was her body and choice. And it didn't affect him in any way.

Only that it did.

It might be Rizas body but it was his child. He should have a say in the childs future.

Not that there is going to be a future for this child.

He sighed heavily and threw the book lightly to the side. He couldn't concentrate on it. Not with what was going on.

He should just go on with his life. Almost like discarding a piece of paper or throwing something away that he didn't need anymore.

But he couldn't help but think of the future he had thought of when he and Riza were first together, before they found out about the fratnization law, the picture he had painted out of a future. He and Riza married, with one or two children.

He ignored the pain in his heart as his mind unwillingly made a picture of the child.

Black hair with black or brown eyes or blonde haired with black or brown eyes. Or maybe from Rizas side of the family. Her father had had a light brown, almost yellow **(I think I need to put up a neon sign here saying HINT BIG HINT HERE! at this little section of the chapter.)** and Rizas grandfathers was even a light color then her fathers.

Forbid his child will have anything from his side, excluding his mother of course. Her Xingese qualities lived in him. He was rid of his father for good since he died and he most certainly did not need a reminder of _him._

But his brother, sandy brown haired and green eyed, would be a welcome. Roy felt the familiar pang in his chest when he thought about his brother. Killed by the man who sired him.

Roy sighed. His brother would have loved being an uncle. Maes was a great friend, Roy sometimes even felt close enough to call him a brother in all but blood. But sometimes blood was more important.

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Riza walked around endlessly trying to find Roy. She had looked at all the spots that he liked to hang out at and nothing. Not a sign of him anywhere!

She growled softly. She had something important to tell him damn it!

"Riza?" said a surprised voice behind her.

Whirling around she saw Maes there looking at her.

"Maes" she said warmly. He would know where Roy is.

"Did you…you know…do it?" he asked her.

Proudly she shook her head and said "I am going to have this baby."

Happiness lit up his face and he gathered her in a hug. "Great! Have you told Roy?" he asked a huge grin on his face.

Riza shook her head "I can't find him anywhere. Do you know where he is?" she asked him.

Nodding his head rapidly he grabbed her hand and began to run towards the building where he and Roy were sharing an apartment for the time being. "He is going to be so happy." Hughes exclaimed.

They had run to the apartment and Hughes quickly inserted the key into the lock and opened it and pushed her in.

She stumbled in and she saw Roy sitting on a couch in the living room. He looked up and startled slightly in surprise.

"Riza?" he intoned.

"Hey Roy." she said smiling slightly.

"Why…why are you here?" he asked.

"I changed my mind Roy. I'm going to have this baby." she said smiling brightly.

Roy looked stunned for a moment before a smile appeared on his face and he walked over to her and hugged her.

"Thank you." he whispered into her ear before kissing her.

Hughes peeked out from the doorway and grinned at the sight of the two making out. His eyes widened when things got a bit more heated and they moved to the bedroom.

'_I don't think I need to see this.' _he thought before leaving.

"I'm gonna be an uncle. I'm gonna be an uncle." he sang as he walked down the street with his hands in his pockets. But then he stopped cold when a thought hit him.

'_How the hell are we going to do this? How are we going to hide this from the military?'_

**Thank goodness it's done. My fingers are practically bleeding. I got this idea for the chapter and I couldn't stop until the end. Ow!**

**On the other note I don't think that abortion or pregnancy tests were around those times but hey my story and this is an AU so why not?**

**And this question, I am going to repeat it until the chapter that what I ask happens…or I might forget to put it up.**

**Who do you want to die the most? Edward or Alphonse?**

**I have nothing more to say except leave your thoughts in a review.**

**This is Phoenix-Fire Power over and out.**


	13. Chapter 13

-1**A/N: ****hey people!**

**The reason I haven't been updating is well the usual terror. The dreaded Writers Block.**

**G-d I hate it.**

**I wont keep asking that question anymore but it doesn't come up here so don't think that.**

**Thank you everyone for all the reviews, I love you guys!**

**Disclaimer: ****I own nothing. **

'Is it safe?' Hughes thought as he peeked into the apartment.

He stepped cautiously into the living room. 'So far so good.'

There seemed to be no sign of Roy or Riza. Hopefully whatever they had done they did it in Roys bedroom.

Humming slightly to himself Maes confidentially crossed the room to the kitchen and went to the refrigerator. He opened the door and pulled out a cold water bottle, when he straightened up however something caught his eye.

She froze and so did he. There standing in the middle of the kitchen clad in only an over sized white shirt that enabled him to see everything was Riza.

"Um…hey Maes." she said just staring at him.

Maes', in true teenage boy fashion, eyes swept over Rizas profile. Riza when she noticed this blushed and crossed her arms over her chest and screamed "Maes!"

"What's wrong?" Roys voice came. He entered the kitchen the same time that Maes finally averted his eyes to the wall.

"What just happened?" Roy asked looking at the both of them.

"Nothing." the answer came from both of them at the same time.

They shared a look and a message _'We never speak of this again.'_

* * *

"So what are you guys going to do?" Maes asked over dinner that night.

They had been able to convince Riza to stay for dinner that she had insisted on making. Who knew that she was a good cook?

"So what are you guys going to do?" Maes asked interlacing his fingers and leaning his head against them.

Roy and Riza shared a glance before Riza looked at the table and the half eaten meal and said "We don't know."

They lapsed in silence for a few moments and in those moments the only sound in the room was the scraping of forks against the plates. The glasses being picked up and put down.

"Gracia!" Maes exclaimed suddenly.

Roy rolled his eyes. "Maes we heard about your girlfriend a thousand times. And right now isn't really the best of times so stop

bragging."

"No that's not what I mean." Hughes said starting to smile. "We could go there where she lives and you guys could have the baby there!"

"Where does she live exactly?" Riza asked.

"She lives in New Optain, east of Central." Maes answered. **[actual place in Amestris for this story it's kinda like Resembool, a small place in the country.]**

"New Optain? Isn't that still a bit too close to the military?" Roy asked.

"Right now I think it's the only choice we have." Maes said. He cocked an eyebrow at them "Unless you guys have a better plan?"

Roy and Riza looked at each other once more. Hide in the country and then what? Riza voiced this question.

Roy bit his lip. "As much as I hate to say this. We can't keep it."

Riza was about to agree or at least argue when she remembered what that lady had said

'_Give it to someone who can.'_

"We'll give the child so someone we can trust." she announced.

The looks Roy and Hughes gave her almost made her laugh out loud.

"What?" Hughes said.

"It's just like Roy said. We can't keep it so we have to give it to someone we can trust to look after it." Riza said confidentially.

Did she even know anyone that she could trust like that?

Roy gathered the plates and placed them in the sink. The trio talked about their plan and some time later Maes had left to call Gracia to ask for her help.

Riza was sitting on the couch, Roy hadn't let her help him wash the dishes because she had made the meal, and was staring at her hands folded on her lap.

"Are you okay?" Roy asked sitting down next to her. She looked up at him.

"Who would you trust" she asked "with your child? With the life you helped create?"

"I would trust Maes." he said looking over to his best friend who now looked like he was trying to flirt with his girlfriend on the phone. "But I don't think he is really an option right now."

"I think I just need to get home and think everything over right now." Riza said. She still lived in her house that she had lived with her father, Roys teacher in alchemy. She had inherited since his passing.

Roy nodded. "I'll walk you there." he said, getting up and gathering their coats.

After sparing one more glance at Maes, who was making kissing noises at the phone now. He was really starting to worry about his friends sanity, and led Riza out of the apartment and into the cool air of the night.

The cool air felt nice on their warm faces and for the majority of the walk they were in silence. Sometime half way however their hands had found each others and they were walking hand-in-hand.

Too soon for their taste they were in front of Rizas house and they would have to part ways. Roy looked over at Riza and seeing the uncertain look in her face he quickly gathered her in his arms. One of his arms went around her waist and the other her shoulders with his palm pressing her head to his shoulders.

"Don't worry Riza." he murmured. "We'll get through this. I promise."

He felt Riza nod her head before she tilted her head back slightly and kissed him. **[Okay. I have no idea how to write a kissing scene. I don't know what happens. I know nothing. So I'm going to skip this part.]**

* * *

Riza sat at the foot of her bed packing her suitcase. She didn't know if they were going to go to Maes' girlfriend but if they were she wanted to be prepared.

She went to her drawers and pulled out some more clothes when something caught her eye. She picked it up and saw that it was a photo book. _'My Memories' _was written on it.

What was…ah yes. This was a scrapbook she and her old friend had made a long time ago.

She sat back down on her bed and opened the first page. Immediately she saw a picture of two girls, one smiling and the other also smiling but shyly, at the camera.

She was Trisha Elric. Her old best friend. At least until her parents had made her move to Resembool with them. They had still kept in contact, letters, visits, etc. etc… She had just talked to her a week ago. It was dating a man named Von Hohenheim. A mysterious man with a secretive past.

She skipped to the last page where last month she had placed her latest letter, along with a picture. In it was Trisha and her new boyfriend Hohenheim. The picture was relatively the same as the first one. Trisha was still a shy, well now woman, and her boyfriend. Well he looked like gold. Hair that in the sunlight looked gold as well as golden eyes to match. Trisha was sitting on a chair and Hohenheim was standing behind her with his hands on her shoulders. They were both smiling at the camera and looked happy, but to her it seemed like something was missing.

Riza sighed. What would she give to be like that. Happy and out with the one she loved.

She placed the scrapbook on her desk and continued to pack her suitcase. If only to have something to occupy herself with.

* * *

It was late and she was trying to get to sleep.

'_Come on sleep. You can deprive me all you want but don't deprive my child.' _she thought to herself.

A child.

She sat up suddenly all thought of sleep gone.

A child.

That was what was missing from that picture. From them.

From Trisha and Hohenheim.

A child right in the middle of them to call their own.

If they agreed then she just might've found a place for her own.

* * *

"Come on, come on. Pick up." Riza said under her breath as she listened to the ring tone. **[Apparently both mom and son have a habit of depriving other people of sleep.]**

She knew it was late. She knew that Trisha wouldn't be happy. Though she wouldn't yell or anything like that. She was always too nice.

And she had said to call or come in any emergency and this classified as an emergency right?

"Hello?" a sleepy voice asked into the phone. Finally!

"Trisha? It's me Riza." Riza said.

"Riza? Riza what on earth could be so important to call now?" Trisha asked. Riza flinched. Although she would never yell or do

anything she had this way of making people feel guilty at times like this.

"I know its late and everything but Tris. I need your help badly right now." Riza answered.

There was a moment of silence when she heard a male voice asking Trisha something. The mouth of the phone was covered so Riza

didn't hear a thing before Trisha came back and sounding more awake asked "What's wrong?"

Riza sighed and began to tell her everything.

* * *

"And so I need your help." she finished.

"I'll do whatever I can. What do you need?" Trisha asked.

Riza took a deep breath, she could do this. "I need you to take my child and raise it away from the military."

Silence was met with Rizas sentence until Trisha said "What?"

"Please don't make me say it again I barely got it out the first time." she pleaded.

"I won't but Riza. This is a big thing are you sure you want me to do it?" she asked.

"Yes. Tris you are my friend and I trust you. And I need someone that both I and Roy could trust to do this. We can't keep the child as much as we want to." Riza said. "So please."

The phone became quiet for a few moments and for a moment Riza had thought that Riza had hanged up. But then she heard voices in the background and realized that she was just talking to Hohenheim about the situation. After a few minutes she came back to the phone. "Hohenheim and I have been trying to have a child for a little while now."

Riza sat up straighter in her chair. "So you'll do it?" she asked happily.

"Yes we'll-" she was cut off for a moment and Riza heard her say something else to Hohenheim before coming back and saying "Hohenheim wants to talk to you."

"Hello Ms. Hawkeye." a male voice filled her ear. He sounded so formal and…endearing in a way.

"Please call me Riza." she corrected.

"Ah yes Riza. Forgive me. Have you talked to the father of the child about this situation?" he asked her.

"Which one? Me being pregnant or giving the child to you two?" she asked back.

"Both." he answered.

"Roy knows that I am pregnant and he knows that we have to give the child to someone else to raise, as much as it pains us to do, but he didn't know that I was going to ask the two of you. I didn't even know until I thought of it ten minutes ago." she said. What was it in this guy that made her start to talk so…old like?

"Well don't you think that it would be wise to talk to him about this first before asking us?" he asked. How dare he.

"Well Mr.…." she stopped for a moment before realizing that she didn't know his last name. Trisha had called him Hohenheim and that didn't seem to be his last name.

"Please call me Hohenheim." he said bemused.

She felt her anger double. "Well then Hohenheim I do not really think that it is any of your business what I do or do not tell my boyfriend." she said feeling triumphant.

Hohenheim did not waste a beat "But you are making it mine and Trishas business by asking us to take in your child."

Oh.

Oh it was _on._

She took a deep breathe and was prepared to give a retort back at him before she heard Trishas voice from the phone.

"Riza? Hello?"

"How can you stand him Trisha?" Riza hissed. "He is so obnoxious and that tone of voice he uses! Like he's above me or something!"

"Well he is older then you." Trisha responded.

A thought went into Rizas head. "Trisha?"

"Yes?"

"How old is he anyway?" if this man was taking advantage of her.

"Don't worry about it Riz." Trisha answered. Riza could practically hear a smile in her voice.

"Look I'm just saying. Older men like to take advantage of young woman in order to feel younger. I'm just concerned." Riza whispered into the phone. **He **might be right next to her.

"And you have experience in this field?" Trisha asked. Why did it sound like she was almost laughing?

"No but-" she began.

"Don't worry Riz. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself." she cut in.

"All right I guess." Riza said uncertainly.

"Now about the other thing. Talk to…Roy right? Talk to him and then call us tomorrow. Just not at three in the morning okay?" Trisha said.

Riza smiled. Trisha had that effect on people to make them smile. "Yeah okay. Trish?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you." Riza said simply.

"My pleasure my dear. Good night."

"Night." Riza said before hanging up.

She settled back into bed feeling like a two ton weight had been lifted off of her chest.

Her baby got a home to be raised in. if Gracia agrees then they could have it in secret. And she was sure that Trisha was going to be a great mother. One thing however.

When the time came to give it up, would she have the strength to do it?

* * *

It was the next day and Riza watched as Roy talked on the phone with Trisha and later Hohenheim.

She watched in amusement as Hohenheim, weird name, wound him up like he did with her last night. When it was her she was

pissed. But when it was someone else it just down right funny.

"All right then. Thank you and have a nice day." Roy said into the phone before hanging up.

"I don't like them." he announced before going to the kitchen.

Riza followed him. "Pardon?"

"I said I don't like them." he repeated.

"Trisha is-" she began.

"Trisha is wonderful. It's the man I don't trust." Roy cut in.

"He sounds obnoxious and like a pompous bastard who thinks that he is superior and thinks that everyone is beneath him." Roy concluded. **[Do these words sound familiar to anyone here?] **"And frankly I don't trust him in raising his own child let alone ours."

Riza sighed. "I don't either but I do trust Trisha. She'll watch over our baby and raise it right. And she'll make sure Hohenheim behaves." she said.

Roy still looked uncertain so she stood in front of him and grasped his hands. "Roy. No one is good enough to take care of our child.

But they come pretty close. And right now? They are our only option."

With a heavy look and heart Roy nodded sealing the fate of their unborn child.

**A short chapter but like I said I do have Writers block.**

**Now should the next chapter show month-by-month of what happens to Riza, Roy, Maes, and of course Gracia during Rizas pregnancy or should I just skip to the part where she is having the child?**

**You decide.**

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.**

**This is Phoenix-Fire Power over and out.**


	14. Chapter 14

-1**A/N: ****hey people!**

**Well here is the next chapter and I am curious about something.**

**Do you guys want me to write a lemon or rather what I call 'The Consummation of Edward' yep the scene in the room where Edward was consumed. I want to write a lemon though for my friend Sara, oh yeah and Sara? I mention you in this chapter besides the authors notes. She wants to see how it'll be. What about you guys? Do you want me to write a lemon for this story?**

**I decided to just go to the day where they figured out what to name their child which actually was the also the day they had him.**

**Oh yeah! And that question is still on and is not in this chapter. Truthfully? I have no idea when it's going to come up.**

**Well besides that I have nothing more to say besides thanks everyone for the reviews! Love ya guys!**

**Disclaimer: ****I own nothing.**

Riza walked, or rather waddled, to the couch in the living and gratefully sat down.

She was eight and three quarters pregnant. Eight and three quarters of a month.

However her doctor said that she was a bit too small for being eight and three quarters pregnant. She looked like she was about six months.

In fact the doctor had said that if he hadn't watched her these past eight months then he wouldn't believe that she **was **eight and three quarters pregnant!

What was a scary thought however was the thing the doctor had told her.

She or the children might die.

The risks were always there in the birthing process. Sometimes they die in the womb. And other times they die once they were born.

And since she was a teenager the risks were just slightly higher then the normal pregnancy.

Riza sighed to herself. She wouldn't think of such things right now, she had more important things to do.

Like pick a name for her child.

She and Roy had agreed to make a list of names that they liked and later they would talk about them with Gracia and Maes being there to put in there votes.

Riza chewed on the end of her pencil as she thought. _'Boy name first.'_

Daniel

Andrew

Matthew

Arthur

Wait scratch that last one. She had known an Arthur that was nothing more then an asshole. She definitely did not want her son to be named that.

'_Ok then some girl names then.'_

Ashley

Michelle

Diana

Jenny

Sara

'_Why do the girl names come easier then the boy names?' _she wondered.

She slumped back in her seat. The names came easily but none seemed right.

"You better be having as much trouble as I am Roy Mustang." she grumbled under her breathe.

* * *

Roy sat in the chair in the kitchen with a notepad in front of him and a pen in his hand.

He couldn't think of a good name for his child, boy or girl.

He thought back in his god-forsaken family.

Definitely not Charles after that piece of shit.

Maybe Evan for his late brother.

His mother.

Her face flashed through his eyes for a moment startling him. He hadn't thought of her in a long time.

Yuki. It was Xingese for snow.

"Yuki." he whispered.

It was perfect for a little girl. His little girl.

And for a boy…

He had nothing.

Just then Maes walked in grinning as usual, he seemed to be grinning a lot lately, and sat next to him at the table.

"What's up?" he asked.

Frustrated Roy threw down the pen onto the table causing it to bounce. Maes caught it before it hit his eye.

"Sorry." Roy said grimacing.

"Not a problem." Maes said throwing the pen in the air and catching it again. "So what's wrong?"

"I can't think of a name for the kid." Roy said.

"I know a perfect name." Maes began.

"I'm not calling him Maes or any variations of that name." Roy repeated for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

Maes pouted. "But it's a great name!"

"No." Roy said, the tone in his voice marking the end of this conversation.

"Fine." Maes said, slumping into his seat.

Maes all of a sudden perked up. "What about Roy Junior?"

"Roy Junior?" he asked skeptically. "Why do you wish to scar my maybe son for life?"

"True. Bad enough that there is one Roy Mustang in the world. The end would come if there were two." Maes joked.

Roy took the notepad and swatted him across the head.

"Come on. Be serious here I need your help with this." Roy said.

"Just pick something simple and something the both of you will like." Maes said shrugging.

"Like what?" Roy groaned burring his head in his arms on the table.

"I don't know like…Jerry. Or Daniel. Or Mike. Or Edward. Or Andrew. Or-" Maes said.

"Wait what was that last one?" Roy cut in.

"Andrew?"

"No the other one." Roy said.

"Mike?"

"The other one Hughes." Roy growled.

"Edward?" Maes guessed.

"Edward." Roy whispered.

"Huh." Maes said, placing a finger on his chin. "My grandfathers name was Edward."

"I like it." Roy said. "Edward Hawkeye. Edward Mustang." Roy said pouncing it.

He licked his upper lip in thought. "I really do like it."

He stood up and said "I have to ask Riza about this. Thanks Maes!"

Hughes smiled. "Glad I could be of help."

* * *

Riza walked out the bathroom growling. The kid was playing with her bladder like it was a kickball or something! She had to go pee almost every ten minutes.

She sat back down on the couch and picked up her notepad once more. Names, names, names.

She growled. Nothing came to mind that seemed right. Nothing!

She shifted in her seat, she felt an uncomfortable pressure on her abdomen.

All of a sudden she felt something trickling down her legs. What was going on?

Then the pain. Oh dear lord the pain.

She leaned forward as the pain went through her entire body. Her body twitched from the spasms as she gasped out.

"Riza there's something I need to tell you!" Roy said bursting into the room.

When he was close enough to say whatever the hell he had to say Riza grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close to her face and hissed at him "Whatever the hell you have to say you will listen to me first Roy Christopher Mustang!" **[1]**

"Yes ma'm" Roy refused to acknowledge that his voice just squeaked.

"Now then." Riza let go of his collar and sat back in her seat. Strangely enough she felt calm. No nerves. No wanting to scream. In fact since the contractions had left she felt really great. "My water just broke."

"So I'll get you a new one." Roy said. Is he serious?

"Roy. I will say this one more time." she said. Roy could hear the exaggerated patience in her voice. "My water just broke."

"Why does-" Roy said, before realization hit him and he stopped talking.

"I'm guessing you understand what this means now." Riza said seeing his face go from bright red to chalk white pale in less then two seconds flat.

Roy opened his mouth but no words came out. After a few more tries he finally screamed "The baby is coming!"

As if on cue Maes ran from the kitchen and Gracia was heard upstairs in hers and Roys bedroom getting the luggage they had prepared.

"The baby is coming? Its time?" Maes asked incredulity.

"Yes." Riza answered.

Pandemonium erupted. Roy and Maes were running from room to room trying to get organized and screamed. The irony was that Riza was just sitting there calmly as if she wasn't about to have a baby.

Gracia, also calmly, walked down from the stairs with the bag in hand and took one look at the pair, Roy was trying to call the hospital and Maes had gotten the notion to get the camera. What he didn't know however was where the camera was.

Gracia shook her head and walked over to Riza who was staring at the ceiling and humming slightly.

"How do you feel?" Gracia asked helping her friend get up.

"Like I was just shot with a bunch of valium." Riza joked as she finally stood up and looked at the boys. She brought her fingers to her mouth and erupted a shrill whistle.

Roy and Maes froze where they were and looked at her.

"All right listen up." she said. "We need to get to the hospital and here is what each and everyone is going to do. Maes you will drive the car to get to the hospital. Gracia you will sit in front with Maes to make sure he goes the right way. Roy will be sitting in the back with me. Any questions?"

Everyone shook there head no.

"Then lets go." she said, turning around and leaving the house towards the car.

When they were in the car and going to the hospital the contractions came again. "Roy time them." she gasped out.

Roy took out the stopwatch and just like they practiced he timed each one.

He swore. This wasn't good; they were about two minutes apart. That meant that it was almost time.

"Hurry up Hughes!" he yelled at Maes. In answer he simply accelerated.

* * *

"Ow, ow, ow!" Riza moaned as she walked around the delivery room holding her stomach.

"Come on Riz you have to sit down." Gracia said pulling her towards the bed.

In answer she just moaned some more.

Gracia decided to try to get her mind off the pain. "What do you want it to be? A boy or girl?"

Riza shot her a look. "Doesn't matter does it? I won't be the one who raises it." she growled.

Okay not what she wanted Riza to think but go with the subject. "True. But you are the one that is bringing it to life right?"

"I know, it's just." Riza said, sitting down on the bed again. "I want to be there for its first steps. For its first word. Its first day of school. I'm going to miss everything. I mean." Riza started to cry now. "I won't know if it's more like me or Roy. I won't know if it's going to take after Roy in alchemy or like me with guns. I wont know…anything." she placed her head in her hands and then tried to repress another cry of pain.

Gracia sat down next to her and put her arms around her comfortingly.

Riza leaned into her embrace gratefully.

There was a moment of silence before being pierced by a scream this time from Riza.

The doctor came in at that moment along with Roy. He motioned for Gracia to leave, which she did as she nodded good luck to the both of them, and set Riza up on the bed and ready to give birth.

"Ten centimeters. You're ready Ms Hawkeye." the doctor said checking her.

Roy took his place right next to her and held her hand through the procedure. Riza moaned and clenched his hand in a tight grip. All of a sudden she screamed.

"Epidural please!"

"I thought you wanted to do things naturally." Roy said.

She grabbed his collar for the second time today and pulled him a centimeters length away from her face as she hissed "Epi-damn-dural."

The next few hours, this baby was intent on torturing her not wanting to come out even though she was at ten centimeters, was nothing more then torture. This was definitely Roy Mustangs son. Torturing her and not listening to what she said. Not even born and it wasn't listening to its parents already.

She felt the need again and again, to push. She pushed and screamed. All of a sudden another voice was screaming with her. Her head snapped up. Her baby.

There it was…no there he was.

He's so…small. He fits neatly in both the doctors' hands and was screaming his new lungs out.

She held her arms out, her maternal instincts kicking in at full speed, and said or rather commanded "Give me my baby."

The doctor handed him to a nurse and turned to her "We have to clean him up and put him in a blanket." he said, quickly seeing the rage in her eyes.

Finally she was handed her son, hers and Roys son.

She cradled him close to her chest. This was the life that was in her. She was sustaining it and letting it live. This was…amazing.

She looked at Roy. The look on his face was pure astounding. His hand shook as he reached out to gently stroke their childs cheek with his index finger.

"This…is amazing." he whispered. He reached over to Riza and placed their foreheads together, their eyes never their son, "This is something that only human beings can do. Alchemy…science after hundreds of years still can't do this. Create a human being."

She looked over at him blankly. She had just given birth to their son and all he could talk about is alchemy?

Realization hit her. "Roy." she whispered at him stricken. "We don't have a name."

He smiled at her and said "I think I and Maes have gotten a name."

"What?"

"Edward." he said.

"Edward?" Riza asked. She glanced at her son, her son!, in her arms and smiled. "He seems like an Edward."

"He just needs a middle name." Roy mused.

"Maes." Riza said.

"What about him?" Roy asked.

"No." Riza objected smiling at the little, is it healthy to be that little?, boy in her arms. "That's his middle name. Maes." **[2]**

"Riza. No. Please don't name him that. That'll just make Maes' ego go through the roof" Roy objected.

Riza looked up from her son to Roy. His heart plummeted when he saw the look on her face go from loving and caring mother to dangerous and I-will-kill-you-slowly-with-a-gun in less than a second flat.

"If I want to name him that I will name him that. You are not the one that carried him for over eight months. You are not the one who was just in labor with him for over nine hours. And you are not the one who has the final say on his full name." she snarled at him.

Roy nodded his head quickly. One thing he has learned. Listen to the woman or suffer the consequences.

Happily she turned back to her son and her eyes raked over him.

He was small, she was a bit concerned about that, and he already had some of her blonde hair on top of his head. His face scrunched up and when he opened his eyes she gasped.

They weren't blue like most newborns were. They weren't brown like hers were or black like Roys were. Instead they were as gold as her great grandfathers were. She had been told that her great grandfather on her fathers side had golden eyes. Her grandfathers eyes were a darker shade, more brown but sometimes seemed like gold sometimes, and her own fathers eyes were a mix from gold and brown. She alone had been skipped in that gene pool, favoring her mothers brown eyes. And now her son wielded those molten gold.

She looked up at the sudden quiet in the room. Maes and Gracia had walked into the room and had gone silent. Breathless at the sight of the bundle on the boy in her arms.

"Come here godparents." Riza said warmly.

Their eyes widened at her sentence then filled with happiness.

"Well then let me see my godson." Maes said walking over to them.

"What's his name?" Gracia asked.

Roy looked at her once more with pleading in his eyes which Riza promptly ignored.

"His name is Edward Maes." she said proudly.

Hughes froze. They couldn't see his face and he didn't make a sound.

"Maes?" Gracia asked placing a hand on his shoulders.

He looked up after a few seconds. There were tears in his eyes. "Thank you." he said simply.

The next few hours passed by in a blur. Pictures were taken and exchanged. Words and plans were made. One thing that Roy and Riza felt and would remember for the rest of their lives was this.

'_We are a family now. And one day we will be together once more.'_

* * *

Those three months passed way too fast for their taste. More pictures were taken. More memories that would fill their hearts and minds forever. And each time they went to sleep the same thought passed through their hands despite their trying to block it. _'We are one day closer to giving him away.'_

Finally that day arrived.

**

* * *

**

[3]

"I am a terrible mother" Riza said into the air.

"No you're not Riz." Hughes said softly.

"Giving away my child? I think that classifies as being a bad parent Hughes." she said.

Maes sighed. "A little help here Roy?" he said, looking at his best friend.

Roy was looking over his shoulder at the house which they were getting farther away from. It was clear from the look in his eyes that he wanted to go back and get his son.

"I left him crying. I left my son crying." Riza said.

"Listen you two." Hughes said getting in front of them and grasping their shoulders. He looked them both in the eyes.

"What you two did, I know was hard and it hurts. A lot. But it had to be done, right?" he asked raising his eyebrow. "You are giving him freedom. And I'm sure that when the time comes he will forgive you" he concluded.

Roy and Riza looked over their shoulders and back at the house one more time.

Roy then stood up straight and his face became more business-like. Like every other solider he was locking away his emotions. Like he and Riza should.

"Lets go." he said swiftly before walking towards the train station with Riza following him then Hughes.

As he walked away he couldn't help but spare one look over his shoulder to the house as well.

"_Good luck Edward"_ he thought. _'And when the time comes, please forgive them.'_

"He thought before walking with them to the train station and leaving" Gracia said finally concluding the story.

She looked at Edward who was slumped in his seat.

"It was hard for them, wasn't it? Giving me away and everything" he said quietly.

"A parent giving away their child is excruciating. They were both only teenagers but it didn't matter. They loved you and cared for you more then I've seen some couples in their thirties do" she said.

"In fact Roy was actually worse then Maes was with a camera in those three months" she added.

Edward cracked a small smile. "No one is worse than Mr. Hughes was with a camera" he mumbled.

Gracia nodded before saying "Riza usually stays overnight on Friday and Saturday at Roys house and leaves Sunday night. It's Friday, and it's late so I'm sure she's there."

Edward looked up startled and Gracia felt a pang in her heart as she saw, since it was rarely shown, the true child he was. He looked for the entire world like a child asking an adult on what to do.

"From where I see it you have three options. One, you could go back to your dorm, think about what I said. Two, you could stay here

In the guest room. Or three. And I'm sure you know what that one is" she said with a small smile.

Edward looked up at her. She smiled warmly at him as he slowly got up and walked to the door.

He stopped however when he opened the door and had one foot out but looked back at her with an uncertain look on his face.

Gracia hugged him. "Go Edward" she whispered. With his eyes alight with fire once more and a smile on his face he nodded and ran out the door.

Chuckling Gracia closed the door, turned off the lights, and walked back to her room.

'_He is so much like his father. _She thought.

* * *

Roy got two glasses from the cabinet and proceeded to fill them with wine, though he had half a mind to get something a bit stronger. However this was his and Rizas traditional drink. Speaking of Riza.

He picked up the glasses and walked back to the living room where Riza was looking through a photo album. She accepted the glass of wine Roy gave her with a small smile and a quiet thanks.

What a week. Edward finding out the truth about his them being his parents. And then going out of his way to avoid them. Didn't he understand how much he was hurting them by avoiding them?

Roy peeked at the album and smiled at one of the photos that showed a grinning Hughes holding the newborn Edward. Roy felt a pang in his heart as he looked at the grinning face of his best friend.

All of a sudden there was a knock at the door that broke both Roy and Riza out of their trances. Roy glanced at the clock; it was three in the morning. Who would be knocking at the door at this hour?

Taking an extra precaution he slid on his glove on his left hand and Riza following his lead picked up a gun and waited for his signal.

Roy slowly opened the door and looked at who was there. When he saw he froze.

Edward looked at him from looking up at the stars.

"E-E-Edward" Roy choked out. He heard Riza drop her gun and appear behind him.

"Hi Roy. Hi Riza" he said looking at them.

* * *

**[1]-This here is the real reason Roy is afraid of her. He knows she can kick his ass pregnant and not pregnant. And yeah. I made his middle name be Christopher.**

**[2]-Edward Maes Hawkeye/Mustang that is his full name. When I thought of this I was laughing and rolling on the floor clutching my stomach.**

**[3]-Read chapter 1 to see what happened before this.**

**

* * *

**

**You can say it. I'm evil.**

**Ah and now they are finally face to face.**

**I hope this chapter was good enough for you guys.**

**I was actually going to add in a fraternal twin sister that died in there but I figured not to. Way too much angst for that I guessed. And please don't say anything about baby Yuki please that you want to happen, if you want to say something about her fine but not 'Oh please put her in' kay?**

**Oh and when Riza was going into labor? I could totally see that. She's sitting there all calm and everyone else is going crazy.**

**I'm not quite sure what the next chapter will be, or when it'll come up, but all I know is that's going to be full of Parental Roy/Ed and Parental Riza/Ed.**

**And now updates will come later because on Wednesday is the first day of school for me. Sophomore year at high school. First year of chemistry and geometry. Wish me luck.**

**Now then new questions.**

**What do you guys want in the next chapter? Anything? I have some ideas but I don't think it'll be enough for a full chapter so tell me what you want and I'll see what I could do about it.**

**I guess there is nothing more to say on this. So just leave a review and until next time.**

**This is Phoenix-Fire Power over and out.**

* * *


	15. Chapter 15

The silence rode on. Both parents and son stared at one another not saying a word for quite a few moments.

"Edward." Riza murmured. She couldn't believe he was actually here after a week of avoiding them.

Riza then immediately stepped forward and pulled him into a tight embrace, she held him across her chest with her arms tightly around him.

Edward after a moments hesitation put his arms around her and caught Roys eyes over her shoulder. Roy also stepped forward and embraced his son, his arms going around Edward and Riza.

After a few moments, and noting the cold air and seeing both Riza and Edward shiver slightly from it, Roy ushered them inside the house where they were immediately warmed by the fire in the fireplace.

Roy saw Edward give a glance towards the now closed door and felt a pang in his heart, his son was still thinking of running away from them.

Riza saw that and glanced at Roy sadly, gripping her own wrist. "Edward."

Edward swallowed the lump in his throat before looking at Riza "Yes?" he asked quietly.

"We didn't think you would come back." she whispered throatily.

Edward averted his gaze. "Gracia told me...everything." he said.

"I see." Riza replied, not quite knowing how to react at the moment, naturally the poor woman was in shock. And ignoring the pang in her own heart. Gracia told him when it should have been her and Roy, that's what they were going to talk to him about in the library that day but they had gotten distracted by Alphonse and that allowed him an escape.

Edward licked his upper lip before casting the door one more look before turning towards it and starting to walk towards it.

Roy immediately reached out and gripped his shoulder firmly. "Please, don't leave." he begged.

"This isn't right." Edward murmured. He looked at Roy and Riza "None of this...feels...right."

Roy and Riza exchanged a look. "I know." Riza replied shakily. "I."

Edward shook his head before covering it with his hands "No you don't! I mean all of this! Everything!" he exclaimed waving a hand at Roy and Riza. "You two? Being my real parents? After over fifteen years of thinking that mom...Trisha" he choked out her name, Riza felt a pang when he still called her mother. "Not really being my mother. This is all just too much!"

Riza opened her mouth then closed it. She wasn't quite sure what to say, she opened her mouth and said throatily. "I'm sorry."

Edward looked away as he said "Why didn't you just go with the abortion?"

Riza felt herself go numb as she gasped slightly, her shoulders dropping. "I couldn't do that." she whispered just as Roy cut in "That's enough!"

Edward blushed and closed his eyes "I didn't mean to say it like that."

"You were, and still are, my child. I couldn't punish you for something that I did." Riza whispered her voice cracking. "And I have not regretted it all these years, I still don't."

Edwards's shoulders slumped as he looked at the pair in front of him. "Why didn't you try to at least have contact with me?" he asked hoarsely.

Roy closed his eyes. "For the same reason we gave you to the Elrics in the first place. To keep you safe from the military."

Edward then glanced at where he kept his State Alchemists watch and pulled it out. He threw it up slightly in his hand and said sarcastically "Well that worked like a charm."

Roy frowned and then, it was basically instinct by now after nearly four years, he said "Well maybe if you weren't so stubborn or bull headed you wouldn't have landed in that position."

Edward looked up at him and smirked "I got that from you." he said.

Roy smiled at him but it quickly went off when Edward opted to averting his gaze.

Riza wrung her hands in front of her and said "We wanted to. There were some times when we were even close to packing our things and going there to see you. But we couldn't. If the military had found out about it then roy and I would be most likely imprisoned and you would have been given to either a foster home or to the military orphanage to be trained to become a real soldier."

Edward looked at her quietly for a moment before asking "Who else knows?"

"Maes did and so does Gracia. Trisha did and so does Hohenheim. And it seems your neighbor in resembol knows as well." roy said.

"Otherwise no one else."

Edward nodded before rubbing his eyes. What time was it? He glanced at the clock at the counter and grimaced. His brother was going to kill him, it was past three o'clock.

"I…I better get home." Edward said turning around and starting to leave. He had his hand on the doorknob when he felt a bigger hand grasp his and pull him away.

"You are home." Roy said hugging him.

Since it was late at night and the three of them were very tired Roy and Riza showed him the guest room where he will be staying.

He sat on the edge of the bed and looked around the room feeling like an intruder.

Did he have any right to be here? Intrude on their lives like this? Riza had contemplated to get an abortion so should he even be alive right now?

He sighed and leaned back until his back hit the bed and he laid there staring at the ceiling. One thing was certain however, he would be getting absolutely no sleep tonight.

All of a sudden there was a hesitant and light knocking on his door. He leaned forward slightly on his elbows and looked at it in surprise. "Come in?" he called out confused slightly.

The door opened slightly and he saw Riza peek in at him. She entered the room and stared at him. "I thought you would be asleep by now." she said.

Edward shrugged. "Not that tired I guess."

Riza took this moment to sit down next to him on the bed. She bowed her head slightly and with her eyes trained squarely on her lap she said "You never stopped mattering. To either of us."

Edward opened his eyes in surprise at that sentence. He looked at Riza who didn't look at him. "We never stopped thinking about you. Ever."

She finally looked him in the eyes as she said "Giving you to the Elric's was the single most hardest thing that we had ever had to do. And I regretted it every passing day." her tone softened and she slowly reached out and grasped his face in her hand and stroked his cheek slightly. "But then you came back to us."

Her eyes scanned over his arm and she said sadly "Not the way we would've wanted you to however."

Edward unconsciously rubbed his shoulder where the flesh and the metal were connected as she said that.

She shook slightly as she whispered "My son. My little boy."

Slowly her arms lifted and put themselves around him. When he didn't make any movement to get away from her she pulled him tightly against her chest and right next to her heart.

Edward gave felt a slight shudder pass through his body as he felt Rizas arms go around him. He has never let anyone get this close to him before, not counting Al of course. To let someone get this close meant they had a valid chance to get to hurt you and he would never let anyone hurt him without confidence that he could fight back.

But this touch. This warm gentle touch was different from any other ones he ever felt. It was comforting and serene. It was a sense of security and protection. And it surprised him when he felt tears well up in his eyes. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his all-of-a-sudden frantic nerves, and with that breath he inhaled her scent.

Trisha Elric always had this sweet scent around her, lavender and a scent that he couldn't really give a name but reminded him of the country where he grew up, a scent that always reminded him of home and mother.

However at the very back of his mind he always remembered a different scent. A different one that also had offered comfort whenever he had needed it the most. It was vanilla, coffee, and for some strange reason smoke. It had the same effect as Trishas scent had.

And now breathing in Rizas scent he inhaled those same scents. Those scents that had always comforted him, and now he remembered why he had loved them so much. Those were the scents from his biological mother. He must have scented them when he was an infant and remembered them even until now.

Rizas arms tightened around him as his entire body began to shake, her arms no matter how tightly they were around her were still gentle and fit around him perfectly.

In a flash Edward realized something.

It was how much he really missed these touches.

Who was the last person who had embraced him like this he couldn't help but wonder… Ah. His teacher had that day she found out that he and Al had performed the human transmutation. This gentle touch of love and concern. Before he even knew it his body was shaking even more until the water in his eyes spilled over and finally broke free.

He clutched tightly onto Riza as his body shook with the sobs echoing though his body. She clutched him tighter and tighter, what was that moisture running down unto his neck? was…was she crying as well?, her own body shaking slightly.

Finally when his body was exhausted, mentally, physically, emotionally, when he finally leaned against her looking for support she gave it to him.

She stroked his back with her left hand and held his head on her shoulder with her right while whispering words of comfort to him.

Roy stood in the doorway watching his love and his son, his entire being itched to join them but something held him back. Something told him that they needed to cross this bridge by themselves. Edward might have already seen Roy as a father seeing as Hohenheim had never been there but Trisha had and for most of his memories she was his mother and right now he needed this to see that Riza was his mother as well.

Finally as his strength left him entirely his grip on Riza slackened slightly until she pulled him into a more comfortable position for the both of them and let her fingers run through his hair.

"We are so proud of you Edward." she whispered to him.

Edward nestled closer to her and said the first thing that went into his mind before falling into a deep sleep. The first thing that felt as if it was the most natural thing in the world to say "Goodnight mom."

Riza started slightly and Roy felt his eyes widen before a smile crossed his face as he watched Riza smile as well and hold Edward slightly closer and tighter to herself.

He crossed the room and put his own arms around Riza. For a moment they stayed like that before, with some maneuvering they had it so that the three of them were on the bed.

A father, a mother, and a son.

A family

**I'm back! I am freaking back!**

**I apologize profusely for two things. How long it took to get this chapter and how short it was but…I'm stuck guys. I have some, keyword here 'some', but besides those I have nothing.**

**Oh! And in the beginning about half of that goes to PuppysNrainbows or now known as XxTheKawaiiPuppyDawgxX for her help and putting up with me through this. Love ya Puppy!**

**Okay I have no idea when the next chapter will be up, especially considering I have no idea where to go with this story. This is kinda where you guys come in, what do you want in this story?**

**And I have other projects I have to do. Update other fanfics, start another others who aren't leaving me alone, and a bunch of other stuff.**

**I am also going to be doing an outtakes story for this story, little and slightly bigger oneshots that I had wanted to put in this story but couldn't fit it in. And anything you guys want too. Whatever you had wanted to see in this story that you didn't see I'll try to put it in as well.**

**I don't really have that much left to say except I hope to see you guys soon, with this story and the others, and I hope you guys had a great New Year!**

**This is Phoenix-Fire Power over and out.**

**Disclaimer:**** I own nothing.**


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